From the Report-- F-35B DOOR AND PROPULSION PROBLEMS 1. Problem description 2. Design fix and test status
Auxiliary Air Inlet Door (AAID) 1. Inadequate like on door locks, excessive wear and fatigue due to the buffet environment, inadequate seal design. 2. New-designed doors being installed on LRIP a/c. Fatigue testing started Nov 2012 and has completed six percent of the planned two lifetimes. Drive shaft 1. Lift fan drive shaft undergoing a second redesign after first design failed qualification testing. 2. New design will begin testing in December. Clutch 1. Lift fan clutch has experienced higher than expected drag heating. 2. New cluch plate design is complete. Roll post nozzle actuator 1. Roll post nozzle bay temperatures exceed current actuator capability; insulation is needed. 2. Insulation being installed in current units. New actuators will be installed in LRIP-7 and beyond. Bleed air leak detectors 1. Nuisance overheat warnings to the pilot because of poor temperature sensitivity. 2. More stringent acceptance test procedures in place. Aux Air inlet door 1. Half-inch gap between doors induces air flow disturbance and makes doors prone to damage. 2. Limiting springs to half planned lifetime; investigating possibility of new design.
Other F-35B discoveries/problems-- --Controlling weight growth continues to be a challenge. Current estimates are within 202 pounds of the not-to-exceed weight of 32,577 poounds. This allows for weight growth of only 0.62 percent over the next year. --Wet runway testing delayed due to inability to create the properly degraded friction conditions at Pax AS. Fielded F-35B aircraft at Eglin and Yuma are operating under restricted landing conditions until the wet runway testing is complete. --Buffet and TRO (transonic roll off) continue to be a concern to achieving operational capabity in all variants. --Inadequate bonding of skin on horizontal tail from afterburner use continues to be a problem. Extended use of afterburner is not expected to be representative of operational use but is necessary to achieve certain test points. Non-instrumented test aircraft continue to operate with restrictions to the flight envelope and use of the afterburner. --Progress through the work needed to release the Block 2B flight envelope lagged the plan. Additional points on the future Block 3F test plans were completed.
many other general comments/evaluations/problems form the F-35 DOT&E report are here.
It seems the most common phrase in the report was " doesn't perform as contracted." With all the work and money spent on this program, it better be all that and a bag-o-chips! I get the feeling that when this is all sorted out, the technology might be behind the curve already. Will the X-47 overtake the F-35 in mission capability?
you would think so! i bet you're asking it in jest but i am really starting to believe that the X-47 will come out the box better and more capable than the F-35.
i'm almost ready to bet body parts that we see the X-47 turn into the de facto F-117 replacement for deep strike missions.
I suggest you all to read the following articles, by google translation : there is around twenty article on all modern aircraft, russian (T50 at 1) chinese, american ( F22 a 3, f35 at 4 ) , iranian, french...
the first : http://www.agoravox.fr/tribune-libre/article/aviation-1-un-petit-dernier-a-69098
F 35 http://www.agoravox.fr/tribune-libre/article/aviation-3-les-boulets-a-trainer-69160
There some intel about I never heard here, although I think Solomon blog is well aware about.
From the Report--
ReplyDeleteF-35B DOOR AND PROPULSION PROBLEMS
1. Problem description
2. Design fix and test status
Auxiliary Air Inlet Door (AAID)
1. Inadequate like on door locks, excessive wear and fatigue due to the buffet environment, inadequate seal design.
2. New-designed doors being installed on LRIP a/c. Fatigue testing started Nov 2012 and has completed six percent of the planned two lifetimes.
Drive shaft
1. Lift fan drive shaft undergoing a second redesign after first design failed qualification testing.
2. New design will begin testing in December.
Clutch
1. Lift fan clutch has experienced higher than expected drag heating.
2. New cluch plate design is complete.
Roll post nozzle actuator
1. Roll post nozzle bay temperatures exceed current actuator capability; insulation is needed.
2. Insulation being installed in current units. New actuators will be installed in LRIP-7 and beyond.
Bleed air leak detectors
1. Nuisance overheat warnings to the pilot because of poor temperature sensitivity.
2. More stringent acceptance test procedures in place.
Aux Air inlet door
1. Half-inch gap between doors induces air flow disturbance and makes doors prone to damage.
2. Limiting springs to half planned lifetime; investigating possibility of new design.
Other F-35B discoveries/problems--
ReplyDelete--Controlling weight growth continues to be a challenge. Current estimates are within 202 pounds of the not-to-exceed weight of 32,577 poounds. This allows for weight growth of only 0.62 percent over the next year.
--Wet runway testing delayed due to inability to create the properly degraded friction conditions at Pax AS. Fielded F-35B aircraft at Eglin and Yuma are operating under restricted landing conditions until the wet runway testing is complete.
--Buffet and TRO (transonic roll off) continue to be a concern to achieving operational capabity in all variants.
--Inadequate bonding of skin on horizontal tail from afterburner use continues to be a problem. Extended use of afterburner is not expected to be representative of operational use but is necessary to achieve certain test points. Non-instrumented test aircraft continue to operate with restrictions to the flight envelope and use of the afterburner.
--Progress through the work needed to release the Block 2B flight envelope lagged the plan. Additional points on the future Block 3F test plans were completed.
many other general comments/evaluations/problems form the F-35 DOT&E report are here.
thanks for this.
ReplyDeleteGood news and bad news.
It seems like most of the issues discovered were, par the course, software based.
if the issues wasn't software, it is being identified, corrected, and fixed. No showstoppers seen.
Oh, and on the Chemical/Biological vulnerability, does the DoD expect the F-35 to be flying through Sarin clouds or something?
It seems the most common phrase in the report was " doesn't perform as contracted." With all the work and money spent on this program, it better be all that and a bag-o-chips! I get the feeling that when this is all sorted out, the technology might be behind the curve already. Will the X-47 overtake the F-35 in mission capability?
ReplyDeleteyou would think so! i bet you're asking it in jest but i am really starting to believe that the X-47 will come out the box better and more capable than the F-35.
Deletei'm almost ready to bet body parts that we see the X-47 turn into the de facto F-117 replacement for deep strike missions.
I suggest you all to read the following articles, by google translation : there is around twenty article on all modern aircraft, russian (T50 at 1) chinese, american ( F22 a 3, f35 at 4 ) , iranian, french...
ReplyDeletethe first :
http://www.agoravox.fr/tribune-libre/article/aviation-1-un-petit-dernier-a-69098
F 35
http://www.agoravox.fr/tribune-libre/article/aviation-3-les-boulets-a-trainer-69160
There some intel about I never heard here, although I think Solomon blog is well aware about.