F-35 coming to RIAT / Farnborough

[Viper28]

The F35 is not certified with any external tanks so its range is something like 1,200 miles. That means they will have to air refuel it unless they do something like the Reds and go Newfoundland, Greenland, Iceland, Scotland. My guess is they would trail it over behind a KC10 similar to what they did with the F22's

[Malcolm]

F-16 has an internal fuel capacity of around 6000 lbs (source http://www.lockheedmartin.co.uk/us/prod ... tions.html). It's rare to see one without at least one external (370 gal/2500lb) fuel tank, and they usually carry two 370/2500lb gal wing tanks. On ferry flights they can carry two 600 gallon (4000 lb) tanks. So total ferry fuel is usually around 14000 lbs. It is possible to carry more fuel in additional drop tanks, but its a law of diminishing returns beacause the drag is a killer. Adding two 4000lb tanks (more than doubling the total fuel load) does nothing like double the aircraft's range.

F-22 has internal fuel capacity of 18000lbs, and 26000lbs with two external tanks.
Source : http://www.lockheedmartin.co.uk/us/prod ... tions.html

F-35A has internal fuel capacity of 18496lbs.
F-35B has internal fuel capacity of 13326lbs
F-35C has internal fuel capacity of 19624lbs
Source : http://www.jsf.mil/f35/f35_variants.htm

All of the JSF fuel is internal, so there is no drag penalty. All other things being equal, an F-35 on internal fuel has a similar range to the F16 carrying two big external tanks. It's been reported that simulations showed adding two 450lb external drop tanks to JSF would only increase it's range by 9%.

So don't think the lack of drop tank capability will be an issue for a deployment over the pond.

[Viper28]

LM quote the range of the F35A/C as >1200nm and the F35B as >900nm on internal fuel only. Even if those are a 100% underestimates its going to need to stop or be refuelled to get across the Atlantic. In reality that means 3 air-refuelings, so as I said they will probably drag them across with a KC10

[wokka]

or stick them in the back of a Galaxy?

[baz1]

just read that the F35 as software issues may bump the price up.. here we go again lol

[TonyO]

I would not expect an RAF example yet, they are still fitted with an old version of the software.

Hoisted by my own petard!

[beefsteak]

Or stick a couple on the flight deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt..............

[Supra]

Or stick the overdue, over-priced, under-performing money-pit in vertical flight up their 'dark' place!

[GhostFlight91]

Fingers crossed on this one, be nice to see a few over here so soon

[ZH871]

Glad that I will finally be able to see the F-35 flying (I'm visitng Farnborough this year) - would be a dream come true if it visited Cosford airshow this year though! But then again, I wouldn't want it to steal the thunder from the Typhoon (maybe thats why the Typhoon Display Pilot tweeted that the Typhoon has a special paint scheme going on this year)...

[Pen Pusher]

Glad that I will finally be able to see the F-35 flying (I'm visitng Farnborough this year)

Are you going on a Trade Day or the weekend?. In the past something like that has usually displayed on the Monday/Tuesday trade days and then gone home.

Brian

[Unknown74]

Makes you wonder sometimes why they bother announcing the attendance of an Aircraft like the F-35 only for the public who want to see it go along on the public days only to be disappointed because it left during/ after the trade days.

Better get the full scale mock up of the Lightning II ready if the real thing does leave early.

[Pete_uk]

Near London? We work to different scales methinks!

Would be nice to see one in the flesh.

[ZH871]

Glad that I will finally be able to see the F-35 flying (I'm visitng Farnborough this year)

Are you going on a Trade Day or the weekend?. In the past something like that has usually displayed on the Monday/Tuesday trade days and then gone home.

Brian

Last time I went on the Friday (so I did miss the Dreamliner...).

This time I'm hoping to go earlier in the week

[Gary]

According to posts on Twitter / news website. The flights have been approved bring on July http://www.breakingnews.com/item/2014/0 ... ntic-flig/

[Gary]

Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department has approved the first trans-Atlantic flight of Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter jet in July to take part in two international air shows near London, senior defense officials said Wednesday.

The new warplane will make its international debut at the Royal International Air Tattoo, or RIAT, an annual military air show help outside London in July, followed by appearances at the Farborough air show, held every other year, according to the officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly.

The jet's appearance at the air shows will be closely watched by potential buyers, including Canada and Denmark, which helped fund the plane's development but are rethinking their planned procurements.

F-35 backers say the decision reflects growing confidence in the $392 billion program, the Pentagon's costliest weapons program, but skeptics say the plane still faces challenges with completing the software needed to integrate weapons on the jet.

Britain, which contributed $2 billion to the development of the new radar-evading fighter jet and plans to buy 138 F-35s in coming years, asked for the jet's participation to help showcase the increasing maturity of the new radar-evading plane. Britain was also the first international partner on the program.

Current plans call for several F-35s to participate in the air shows, including at least one of the three F-35 B-model jets already built for Britain, with a UK pilot at the controls.

U.S. defense officials said the overseas flights would be used for additional training and would help the F-35 program office learn how the plane's logistics, maintenance, aerial refueling, and security systems work overseas.

Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp, builds the single engine that powers the plane. Britain's Rolls Royce Group RR.L builds the lift fan that enables the B-model of the F-35 to land like a helicopter.

Other major contractors on the F-35 program include Northrop Grumman Corp and Britain's BAE Systems.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Info from Reuters

[Gary]

News story also on the MOD website https://www.gov.uk/government/news/f-35 ... ish-flight

[paullangford]

I wonder what they'll bring, obviously an RAF F35B, and presumably USMC F35B, as they use the same in flight refueling system, or is there a possibility of A or C models ?

[RJ79]

I think there is a possibility of an (some) A's as well (reading between the lines). There should be a hefty amount of support aircraft as well (or you would think so anyway) so RIAT should probably be gearing up for an announcement from the US over the coming weeks.

[seven]

RIAT and FIA say 3 F-35B's..

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