combat aircraft

F-35 WINS UNDER

LATEST DEFENSE BILL

SPENDING ON THE RISE AS FY2019 BUDGET ADDS MORE FIGHTERS

T

HE RECENTLY

APPROVED FISCAL

Year 2019 defense

appropriations bill added

$4.8 billion for military

aircraft procurement

above the original presidential request

and now totals $43 billion. The budget

provides an additional $1.7 billion for

F-35 procurement, which resulted

in the authorization to purchase 16

additional  ghters from Lockheed

Martin under lot 13. They comprise

eight F-35As, two F-35Bs and six

F-35Cs. Additionally, it authorizes

the use of F-35 funds to modify up

to six aircraft, including two jets of

each variant, to test con guration at

around $5 million each.

The USAF is considering stationing

additional F-35As — including up

to 24 Block 3F variants — at Eglin

AFB, Florida, beginning in 2020.

The Lightning IIs that are currently

assigned to the 33rd Fighter Wing’s

58th Fighter Squadron are among

the oldest in service. The wing has

25 Lightning IIs assigned, but all are

equipped with Block 2B-standard

software rather than the latest Block

3F version. Plans originally called for

Eglin to be home to up to 59 USAF

F-35A, US Marine Corps F-35B and

US Navy F-35C variants in training

units. However the marines moved

to MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina,

and navy training will be phased

out at Eglin next year. The navy’s

departure opens the door for the

USAF to assign up to 34 further

F-35As to Eglin.

Meanwhile, at Edwards AFB,

California, the F-35 will begin initial

operational test and evaluation

(IOT&E) on November 13. Its

successful completion will allow the

F-35 to enter full-rate production.

The Joint Strike Fighter Operational

Test Team (JOTT) approved the move

on September 23 and the approval

of the under-secretary of defense

followed on October 2.

STRATOFORTRESS DELIVERS

QUICKSTRIKE ER MINE

IN A TEST conducted jointly by

the US Navy and USAF, a B-52H

Stratofortress deployed a 2,000lb

(907kg) Quickstrike-ER (extended

range) shallow-water mine during

the recent ‘Valiant Shield 2018’

exercise. The weapon was equipped

with a Joint Direct Attack Munition

(JDAM) kit that allows it to be

delivered from stand-o ranges

outside a presumed enemy’s

anti-aircraft range. The test was

conducted near the Northern

Marianas Islands in the Paci c

Ocean, north-east of Guam. A US

Navy P-8A Poseidon monitored the

test to collect data, and the inert

mine was subsequently recovered

by divers. Although Quickstrike

mines were already in service, the

addition of the JDAM kit greatly

improves their accuracy. Previously,

delivery of the weapons required

the bombers to  y at low altitude

near or over a target to ensure their

accuracy. Tests of smaller JDAM-

equipped 500lb (227kg) mines were

conducted by B-1Bs and US Marine

Corps F/A-18s during ‘Valiant

Shield 2016’.

FIRST PRODUCTION

MH-65E NEARS COMPLETION

THE FIRST LOWRATE initial

production MH-65E conversion

will be delivered to the Coast

Guard Aviation Training Center

(ATC) in Mobile, Alabama,

following its acceptance in

January 2019. Tail number 6556

will join the validation/veri cation

aircraft at Mobile. The MH-65E will

subsequently complete a three-

month operational test period.

Inducted for modi cation in

April 2018, it received more than

24 new components including

avionics, a redesigned avionics

rack with greater crashworthiness,

an improved center console and a

new instrument panel.

COAST GUARD TAKES ON POLAR MISSION

THE US COAST Guard, which

ended its regular support of polar

operations in 2005, is preparing

for the mission again. The service

is making initial preparations for

participation in Operation ‘Deep

Freeze 2021’ (ODF21), which will

begin in the fall of 2020. The

service will provide MH-65D

helicopters and crews to the

State Department and National

Science Foundation in support of

Antarctic Treaty inspections. The

coast guard’s Polar Operations

Division had been located at

Aviation Training Center Mobile

until it was deactivated in January

2005. Returning to Antarctica
      will require the training of
      crews, updates to doctrine and
      written policy, and refreshing of
      maintenance procedures related
      to operating in a cold weather
      environment over sustained
      periods. In preparation the
      service has removed six sets of
      H-65 skis from storage at Air
      Stations Traverse City, Michigan
      and Kodiak, Alaska. The skis
      were shipped to the Coast Guard
      Aviation Logistics Center in
      Elizabeth City, North Carolina,
      where initial airworthiness
      assessments were conducted.

A Quickstrike-ER mine on

a B-52H at Andersen AFB,

Guam, on September 18.

USAF/SrA Zachary Bumpus

[NEWS] UNITED STATES

10 December 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net