An engine shortage is the newest problem to hit the F-35 enterprise

[Oublious]

Members of the 380th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Air Terminal Operations Center wheel an F-35A Lightning II engine out of a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, August 26, 2020, at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates. (Tech. Sgt. Charles Taylor/U.S. Air Force)​

WASHINGTON — The F-35 joint strike fighter program is grappling with a shortage of the jet’s Pratt & Whitney F135 engine, and it could be months before the situation starts to improve, a defense official said Friday.

The problem, according to the F-35 joint program office, is twofold. First, the F135 Heavy Maintenance Center at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., has not been able to process engines through scheduled depot maintenance as quickly as projected.

Second, maintainers are discovering “premature distress of rotor blade coatings” in a “small number” of engine power modules, creating more repair work and contributing to the backlog.

A defense official who spoke to Defense News on background called the issues a “serious readiness problem.” By 2022, roughly 5 to 6 percent of the F-35 fleet could be without engines due to scheduled depot maintenance as well as unscheduled engine removals caused by F135s in need of repair.

An engine shortage is the newest problem to hit the F-35 enterprise

By 2022, five to six percent of the F-35 fleet could be without engines, a defense official said.

www.defensenews.com

Looks like it will be a faillure....

16 years after the last F-16 was delivered, the Air Force is thinking about buying more of them

F-16s could be ordered with F-15EXs, attritable aircraft, and next-generation fighters to replace older aircraft until enough F-35s are available.

www.businessinsider.com

 

[Ryder]

F35 fanboys on suicide watch

 

[Ryder]

Seriously I thought the F35 uses GE engines??

 

[Oublious]

Seriously I thought the F35 uses GE engines??

This project will be from software to hardware a problem, imagine we did get the fighter and decomissioned our F4 fleet. And F35 grounded because of several problems, and the engine turned to be a big problem what is seems to be.

With what will our airforce fly?

 

[Ryder]

This project will be from software to hardware a problem, imagine we did get the fighter and decomissioned our F4 fleet. And F35 grounded because of several problems, and the engine turned to be a big problem what is seems to be.

With what will our airforce fly?

Air Force Cuts Back F-35 Demo Performances Due to Engine Shortage

Since August 2020, Pentagon senior leadership has been "actively engaged" on F-35 engine availability issues.

www.google.com

Engine problem is even getting worse when the US air force stopped demo runs just to save on engines.

Man I think for me the TAI TFX is the way to go artik. Bro what would be the best stop and gap solution before the TFX is ready?

 

[Blackeyes90]

I wonder if our exclusion played any part of this engine debacle ? If so how much ? I dont think this issues will be a problem in the long run though. F35 project is to big to fail.

 

[Oublious]

Air Force Cuts Back F-35 Demo Performances Due to Engine Shortage

Since August 2020, Pentagon senior leadership has been "actively engaged" on F-35 engine availability issues.

www.google.com

Engine problem is even getting worse when the US air force stopped demo runs just to save on engines.

Man I think for me the TAI TFX is the way to go artik. Bro what would be the best stop and gap solution before the TFX is ready?

Like our old airforce commanders wrote upgrading our F16 fleet with our own technologies and focus on TFX.

 

[Ryder]

Like our old airforce commanders wrote upgrading our F16 fleet with our own technologies and focus on TFX.

I hope the F4 does not get retired yet.

F4 2020 terminator is basically a bomber for the Turkish airforce.

Future is F16 getting upgraded and the TFX alongside the Hurjet.

 

[Deliorman]

I love the plane but I hope the whole project fails down in misery. If we can’t have it then no one should. And those who already have it - for them I hope to have as many problems with it as possible.

 

[Saithan]

F16 block V or such would be fine as stopgap.

 

[Blackeyes90]

F16 block V or such would be fine as stopgap.

That would be ideal. Actually Iraq's F16's are collecting dust over there. And they are keen to get rid of it. If we can buy these planes and upgrade it to our F16's that would be good as well. But US would reject this of course.

 

[Xenon54]

A serious question here, making a 5th gen plane is not peace of cake as we all have seen, espacially for a country that never build neither engines nor planes, whats Turkeys plan B if TFX project fails?

 

[Timur]

I love the plane but I hope the whole project fails down in misery. If we can’t have it then no one should. And those who already have it - for them I hope to have as many problems with it as possible.

it would be compleate if your owuld have wished the buyers a liflelong constipation

I hope we get hürjet ready and upgrade at least 150 f16 with aesa and more.. that would be a good stop gap until TFX TFX would even be a sucess if it would be a 4,5+ gen Fighter one of the most features we need wich we currently dont have is Stealth also on heat signature!!!!!!!!! hope we will do on this part a good job!

 

[Ryder]

I love the plane but I hope the whole project fails down in misery. If we can’t have it then no one should. And those who already have it - for them I hope to have as many problems with it as possible.

Its a dilemma

I want the plane while at the same its a lemon.

 

[Ryder]

A serious question here, making a 5th gen plane is not peace of cake as we all have seen, espacially for a country that never build neither engines nor planes, whats Turkeys plan B if TFX project fails?

Even Russia and China are having problems with their respective programs the SU57 and the J20.

I think its true 4th gen jets like F16, F15, Fa 18 hornet, Mig29, Su35, Gripens, Typhoons and Rafales will still be used for decades if not until 2040 to be honest.

 

[Ryder]

4th gen are basically work horses they get the job done. Also advancements made to them prolong their service life even more.

The F16 is going to stay with us for a long time. Even Australia has not given up its Fa18 Hornets even planning to modernise them and upgrade them even more.

 

[Xenon54]

Even Russia and China are having problems with their respective programs the SU57 and the J20.

I think its true 4th gen jets like F16, F15, Fa 18 hornet, Mig29, Su35, Gripens, Typhoons and Rafales will still be used for decades if not until 2040 to be honest.

This still doesnt answer my question though.

 

[Ardabas34]

A serious question here, making a 5th gen plane is not peace of cake as we all have seen, espacially for a country that never build neither engines nor planes, whats Turkeys plan B if TFX project fails?

I dont think it is that simple. I mean a project doesnt simply ''fail''. To be more precise, a project only fails when it is a common project of more than one countries so due to vision differences when project stops for years, enters a development hell and ends up as a completely useless product that becomes a fail.

Turkey is doing this project on its own so suited for its own needs and what the project is clear, it is a 5th generation fighter jet.
So I dont think a project like this can fail, even if some problems occur they will be solved in the later products by diagnosing them in earlier products and so on.

Same with F-35. People here cheer to hear its problems but we all know these are normal issues for a new product. F-35 may have one permanent issue: it is jack of all trades rather than specializing in one aspect like how F-22s are specialized at countering enemy fighter jets and what caused this issue? Why is it a jack of all trades? Because it was a multinational project so it had to fit everyones desires.

 

[Zafer]

A serious question here, making a 5th gen plane is not peace of cake as we all have seen, espacially for a country that never build neither engines nor planes, whats Turkeys plan B if TFX project fails?

We will work on it until we make it.

 

[Saithan]

I would prefer we have workhorse while prioritizing Hurjet a lot. Because the more we build and fly them the more experience we will get and we can keep our own defense industry going. I do not like the idea of overstretching and falling short. All or nothing gamble is not my thing.

Devrim...

So 60-90 hurjet would be perfect