F-35 JSF

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Re: F-35 JSF
« Responder #360 em: Maio 31, 2012, 12:28:06 pm »
   RNLAF: Reduction to 42 F-16s – Airbase Leeuwarden Closed (edited for style)
   

   
(Source: JSFnieuws.nl; issued May 29, 2012)  :arrow: http://www.jsfnieuws.nl/

STIENS (FRL) --- The plans are ready: the Royal Netherlands Air Force is being reduced to only 42 F-16 fighter jets and the Main Operating Base Leeuwarden will soon lose its F-16 squadrons. The independent Dutch website JSFNieuws.nl on May 29 released a confidential plan that the government planned to keep secret until after the elections due in September 2012.


The plan is of course “confidential” and distributed in a very small circle of trusted people and politicians. Publicity surrounding the plan would be subject to very precise timing, because the intention was to keep it strictly silent until after the forthcoming elections.

Selected scenario: down to 42 F-16

In late 2011 new financial data about the price, operating and support costs, and concurrency modification costs was made available to the Dutch government by the United States. Initially, the data was reviewed by the Project Team Replacement F-16 (PV F-16) and, subsequently, at a higher level. It quickly became apparent that Dutch aviation planning assumptions had to be recalculated in light of the new data.

The PV F-16 team was tasked with the preparation of various scenarios, with two Main Operating Bases (MOB), at Volkel and Leeuwarden; with 1 MOB (either Volkel or Leeuwarden), or 1 MOB with a reserve base.

All kinds of data was involved, such as numbers, flight hours, training scenarios, collaboration, numbers of people, basic maintenance, re-use of airbase area, noise and environmental effects, etc.

The final scenario with the most potential for savings within given optimal operational capabilities and financial parameters:
- Reduction of the number of fighter aircraft F-16 from 68 to 42
- Closing of 1 airbase, near Leeuwarden,
- Realization between 2014 and 2016

Cause: the arrival of the F-35

It is remarkable that the arrival of the F-35, which should have ensured the future of the Royal Netherlands Air Force for the coming decades, is being put forward as the main reason for this huge reduction:

“Calculations show that, due to the budget of € 4.5 billion for replacement of the F-16s, the RNLAF only has sufficient funds to procure 42 F-35A fighter aircraft.”


The MOD paper also states that,for this reason it is better and cheaper to anticipate the reduction of the size of the RNLAF by reducing, as soon as possible, the number of F-16s in service to 42. This would reduce the requirement to a single air base, allowing one main operating base to be closed down with significant savings.

Other quote: “The replacement of the F-16 is a major financial risk for the Defense budget if we would select the Lockheed F-35A, not only because of rising investment costs but also because of high operating costs.”

However, the MoD’s document states that “It is clear: because of the investments already made, it is notan option to abandon the JSF. Cancellation has not even been considered in the current calculations”.

Keeping quiet until after election

Why should this remain silent? And why all who were involved in making these plans and others, politically-involved persons, were told to keep these plans confidential?

Clearly, there are two reasons: firstly, the total dismantling of the Royal Netherlands Air Force will meet huge resistance among the voters of the conservative-liberal VVD and conservative-christian party CDA.

But, because it also appears from the documents that the main cause of the dismantling is the high price and unaffordability of the F-35s, this will cause debate.

A confrontation of the failure of the F-35 project is not welcome for the ruling and responsible parties VVD and CDA in the coming election period. They don’t like having too much focus on the JSF and replacement of the F-16 in the run-up to the election, during election debates and (inevitably) in the subsequent coalition talks. Therefore bad news had to be kept under the proverbial hat.

Now that the plan has been leaked and published, the political elite will first try to get away with claiming that this is only speculation by JSFNieuws, with no foundation in fact, or that it is “just a calculation,” while the Ministry of Defence will reiterate its habitual statements that the decision to buy the F-35 “falls in next cabinet period,”and will be taken by the next government.

However, the facts - on paper - tell a different story. And the top-level persons involved in the policies for the VVD and CDA parties are aware of the various necessary trade-offs that will be required for the replacement of the F-16s.

Increasingly clear since 2005 …….

It has long been clear, within the top echelons of the Dutch MoD, that it is impossible, withthe current budget earmarked for replacement of the F-16, to purchase the 85 F-35A JSF Lightning II aircraft as originally planned.

This was already clear in 2005, documents show, and it has been published as early as 2009 by JSFNieuws.

On 22 August 2005, the outgoing US ambassador (Sobel) to the Netherlands wrote his opinion of the Netherlands, some important aspects of Dutch policy, and how to the US should deal with it. His message read:

“Their desire to maximize the military’s capabilities and their preference for US equipment, even when alternative European suppliers exist, make the Dutch strong supporters of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. (…) Dick Berlijn is pushing to lock in an early commitment for 50 planes (out of a total of 85) to prevent JSF from becoming an issue in the 2007 elections.”

By splitting the purchase in a first batch of 50 aircraft, followed by a hypothetical second batch, the idea was to push into the future the painful realization that the Netherlands could only afford a much smaller number of fighter aircraft.

With the repeated delays and price increases over the last couple of years, it became clear that even a number of around 60 aircraft would be impossible and unaffordable. The real outcome is known at this moment: 42 F-35A’s or less.

Thanks

JSFNieuws is able to publish thisinformation thanks to someone who has taken the responsibility to make public documents that were being kept secret siply to avoid political embarrassment.

Since 2008 our website has been able to publish several report, based on data from various countries, which was kept hidden for political reasons.

Fortunately there are people who are prepared to help us in making public the reality behind political manipulation, and to expose it to the outside world. Most of time, these dedicated citizens only act after much doubt, and risk their jobs, and then only because they are not heard or ignored internally. We encourage people in other countries to do the same.

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Re: F-35 JSF
« Responder #361 em: Junho 14, 2012, 10:15:20 pm »
 

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Re: F-35 JSF
« Responder #362 em: Julho 05, 2012, 05:23:01 pm »
Parlamentares Holandeses querem livrar-se do F-35  :!:
---------------------------------

The Dutch Parliament will debate F-35 acquisition on July 5, but a majority of MPs favor pulling out of the project and instead buying an off-the-shelf fighter. (JSF POE photo)

Most MPs Back Ditching the JSF Fighter Jet, Despite the Cost

   
   
(Source: Dutch News; posted July 3, 2012)


The future of Dutch plans to buy dozens of JSF fighter jets is in doubt on Tuesday, after it emerged a majority of MPs think the agreement should be scrapped.

Labour MP Angelien Eijsink said on Tuesday her party will enter a motion in parliament to cancel the JSF jet fighter project, according to media reports.

With Labour joining in calls for the project to be cancelled, there is now a parliamentary majority going into a debate on the subject on Thursday.

Investigation

The Socialist party, anti-immigration PVV, left-wing Liberals D66 and green party GroenLinks all said earlier they want the project stopped.

The small ChristenUnie will introduce a motion for a far-reaching investigation into the cost of the project and how many jobs will lost if it is cancelled.

Replacement

The JSF was ordered to replace the aging fleet of F-16s, but the rising price of its development and construction has brought growing opposition and the final decision to purchase has been delayed by past coalitions.

The first Dutch JSF jet fighter is currently undergoing fuel system tests. A second is on order.

Eijsink, whose party agreed to support the project in 2002 following advice to then prime minister Wim Kok from four right-wing Liberal VVD ministers, said the government should cut its costs and buy something 'off the shelf'.

The estimated cost of cancelling the project is €1bn.

Defence minister Hans Hillen told nu.nl on Monday he is worried the Netherlands will miss out on important defence orders if the JSF is cancelled.

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"[Os portugueses são]um povo tão dócil e tão bem amestrado que até merecia estar no Jardim Zoológico"
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Re: F-35 JSF
« Responder #363 em: Julho 11, 2012, 06:50:16 pm »
 

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Re: F-35 JSF
« Responder #364 em: Agosto 30, 2012, 05:47:57 pm »
 

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Re: F-35 JSF
« Responder #365 em: Setembro 07, 2012, 10:43:29 pm »
https://www.youtube.com/user/HSMW/videos

"Tudo pela Nação, nada contra a Nação."
 

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Re: F-35 JSF
« Responder #366 em: Outubro 05, 2012, 08:57:25 pm »
 

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Re: F-35 JSF
« Responder #367 em: Outubro 17, 2012, 09:15:28 pm »
 

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Re: F-35 JSF
« Responder #368 em: Outubro 22, 2012, 07:15:35 pm »
 

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Re: F-35 JSF
« Responder #369 em: Outubro 25, 2012, 06:05:03 pm »
 

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Re: F-35 JSF
« Responder #370 em: Outubro 27, 2012, 12:05:02 pm »
Lockheed Sees $1.1 Billion Liability If F-35 Deal Delayed (excerpt)
   
   
(Source: Reuters; published Oct. 25, 2012)
 
 
   
   WASHINGTON --- U.S. weapons maker Lockheed Martin Corp said on Thursday it faced a potential termination liability of $1.1 billion on the F-35 fighter program unless it received additional funding for production of a sixth batch of airplanes by year end.

Lockheed disclosed the potential exposure in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission a day after company officials cited "great progress" on the fighter jet program.

Chief Financial Officer Bruce told analysts on Wednesday that Lockheed expected to finalize a contract with the U.S. government for a fifth batch of fighter jets in the fourth quarter, which would help free up additional funding for planes in a sixth order.

He told reporters that failure to reach a deal on the fifth batch of planes by the end of the year would have little impact on Lockheed's 2012 results because it had already received funding for about 75 percent of the work on those planes.

Company officials did not mention the potential liability exposure on the sixth batch of planes during media or analyst calls on Wednesday.

The potential liability stems from the fact that Lockheed and its suppliers have begun using their own funds to work on a sixth batch of F-35 fighter jets so they will be able to meet the Pentagon's schedule for deliveries of the planes. (end of excerpt)


Click here for the full story, on the Reuters website.  http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/ ... OG20121025

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Re: F-35 JSF
« Responder #371 em: Novembro 03, 2012, 12:50:30 am »
 

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Re: F-35 JSF
« Responder #372 em: Dezembro 05, 2012, 09:10:28 pm »
 

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Re: F-35 JSF
« Responder #373 em: Dezembro 08, 2012, 12:59:20 pm »
infos contraditórias




Federal Government Cancels F-35 Fighter Purchase (excerpt)

   
   
(Source: The Ottawa Citizen; published Dec. 6, 2012)
 
 
   
   OTTAWA --- The F-35 jet fighter purchase, the most persistent thorn in the federal government’s side and the subject of a devastating auditor-general’s report last spring, is dead.

Faced with the imminent release of an audit by accountants KPMG that will push the total projected life-cycle costs of the aircraft above $30 billion, the operations committee of the federal Cabinet decided to scrap the controversial sole-source program and go back to the drawing board, a source familiar with the decision said.

This occurred after Chief of the Defence Staff Thomas Lawson, while en route overseas, was called back urgently to appear before the committee, the source said.

The decision is sure to have ripple effects around the world, as any reduction in the number of aircraft on order causes the price to go up for all the other buyers. Canada is one of nine F-35 consortium members, including the United States.

The CF-18s currently flown by the RCAF are at the tail end of their life cycle and are not expected to be operable much beyond 2020 at the outside.

The fighter procurement process has been the responsibility of Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose since last spring, following an audit by Auditor General Michael Ferguson. It is understood that veteran senior bureaucrat Tom Ring, who handled the government’s much-praised shipbuilding contract process in the fall of 2011, is now steering the reframed fighter replacement process, from within Public Works. (end of excerpt)


Click here for the full story, on the Ottawa Citizen website.

(ends)
   
   
   F-35 Deal Not Cancelled, Tories Insist; Update On the Government's Plan to Purchase New Fighter Jets Expected Next Week
   
   
(Source: CBC News; last updated: Dec 7, 2012)
 
 
   
   The Harper government says it has not made a decision on the F-35 as a replacement for Canada's CF-18 fighter jets, but the government now appears to concede that alternative fighter purchase options will be considered.

The Prime Minister's Office denied a media report Thursday that the F-35 purchase was dead, calling the report "inaccurate on a number of fronts" and promising to update the House of Commons on its seven-point plan to replace the jets before the House rises for the Christmas break at the end of next week.

That plan is now expected to involve a real competition.

Part of the government's new process for replacing the aircraft is an audit of the F-35's costs by accounting firm KPMG. The government said Thursday it now has the report and is reviewing it.

CBC News has learned the KPMG report is based on a longer and more realistic life cycle for the next-generation stealth fighter, which would therefore also arrive with a higher price tag than previously reported. (end of excerpt)


(EDITOR’S NOTE: So the Canadian government says it has not decided to cancel the F-35 purchase, but that it will re-open a competitive evaluation of competitors. The only way to explain these two contradictory statements is that it has already decided that the F-35 will win the new evaluation. But this can’t be true, can it?)


Click here for the full story, on the CBC news website.

(ends)
   
   
   Cost Of Buying, Servicing F-35 Fighter Jets Soars to $40B: Sources

   
   
(Source: CTV News; published Dec. 6, 2012)
 
 
   
   The cost of buying and servicing the F-35 stealth fighter jets that Ottawa has been planning to purchase has skyrocketed to about $40 billion, CTV News has learned, as the Conservative government considers alternative aircraft.

A report commissioned by the government, which will be released next week, will kick off a review of the entire jet fighter procurement process and the need to replace Canada’s aging fleet of CF-18 jets.

The report examined the cost of buying, maintaining and operating 65 F-35 jets over a period of 36 years. The soaring price tag has prompted officials to consider purchasing less expensive war aircraft. Options to be examined by an independent panel include the U.S.-made Super Hornet and Swedish-made Gripen, sources say.

The Conservatives’ plan to purchase the F-35 jets has been mired in controversy since a scathing auditor general's report accused both National Defence and Public Works of hiding the true cost of the project.

Ottawa said the program would cost between $14.7 billion and $16 billion, but auditor general Michael Ferguson and Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page disputed those figures.

Ferguson accused the Defence Department of low-balling the estimate by not including operating expenses, and said it would actually cost more than $25 billion, but government officials denied trying to hide anything.

Page had estimated it would cost $29.3 billion to purchase and maintain the jets.

Now, it looks like the cost would exceed both of those estimates. Alan Williams, a former senior procurement officer with the federal government, said the price of the “complex” jet program has been going up since Ottawa initiated the procurement process.

“We ought to wait until the development is done and the platform is operational,” he told CTV’s Power Play Thursday. “But we dipped our toes into the water much too early in the program, without knowing the cost or the capability. And that’s why we’re saddled with this situation today.”

…/…

However, NDP defence critic Jack Harris said the “sticker shock is going to make people say this is not something that’s affordable.”

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Re: F-35 JSF
« Responder #374 em: Dezembro 09, 2012, 06:20:27 pm »
Canada's F-35 procurement cancelled?
By Dave Majumdar on December 7, 2012 3:57 AM


Canada's National Post is reporting that Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government is pulling the plug on that nation's embattled plan to buy 65 Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.

Sources tell the Post that the Harper government is making the move because of the imminent release of an independent audit by KPMG that will peg the total projected life-cycle cost of Canada's 65 F-35s above $30 billion. That price tag pushed the cabinet operations committee to decide on Tuesday to bail out of the gargantuan nine-nation (led, of course by the United States--we're actually paying for the overwhelming bulk of the program as one would expect) defense procurement, sources tell the Post.

The KPMG estimate aligns closely with figures reported earlier by Canada's parliamentary budget officer, Kevin Page, who predicted a cost of $30 billion over a 30-year life-cycle.

The F-35 procurement plan--by far Canada's biggest military program ever--has long been a political hot potato since a damning auditor general's report found that the government misled the Canadian public on how much the stealth fifth-generation fighter actually costs.

Canadian auditor general Michael Ferguson's report found that the $9 billion figure cited by the Harper government for 65 planes--$15-billion if life-cycle costs are included--was $10 billion below the Canadian Department of National Defence's internal projections. But even that $25.1 billion figure only took into account a 20-year life-cycle rather than the projected 36 year life-cycle of the F-35.

Canada's public works minister, Rona Ambrose, who is responsible for managing the Canadian F-35 buy has been signaling recently that she is unhappy with how the aircraft's requirements were drawn up.

Another newspaper, the Globe and Mail (roughly the Canadian equivalent of the New York Times) is disputing the National Post Report. "The story is inaccurate on a number of fronts," a senior official tells the Globe and Mail.

We should find out for sure some time tomorrow... there is another cabinet meeting that should clarify matters.

UPDATE: Per the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, it looks like the F-35 is not quite dead (probably) in Canada--but it looks like other jets will be considered. These could include the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, and Saab Gripen. I suppose the F-15SE Silent Eagle could be considered too, but I wouldn't hold your breath.

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/
"[Os portugueses são]um povo tão dócil e tão bem amestrado que até merecia estar no Jardim Zoológico"
-Dom Januário Torgal Ferreira, Bispo das Forças Armadas