Hat Tip to ELP Blog...
via UK Reuters...
Same for USAF jets.
UK jets can't make the trip because of "liability" laws...which is short hand by the Royal Navy to the USMC that you guys are out of your fucking minds if you think that we're flying those jets till we know what happened.
Unfortunately for the Brit pilots assigned to the program, they're on exchange duty and operate under USMC rules. That means you can still have British pilots flying the airplanes.
This whole thing has the whiff of MV-22 right before the mishap in the desert.
Lets hope that the massive effort to get the F-35 to Europe doesn't lead to a repeat of the MV-22 mishap in April 2000.
via UK Reuters...
It has stalled the departure of the planes that were to participate in the UK shows, but the U.S. Marine Corps said it was still planning to send four jets across the Atlantic.Navy jets are grounded because the EXACT cause of the mishap has not been determined.
"We are on track to participate in the air shows," said Marine Corps Captain Richard Ulsh.
The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) kicks off on July 11 followed by the Farnborough International Air Show starting on July 14.
Four Marine Corps F-35 B-model jets remain in southern Maryland waiting to leave for Britain. A fifth jet, owned by Britain, is still in Florida.
Strict UK liability laws mean British authorities need additional information before granting flight clearances. If something went wrong, the individual officer who approved the flight could be sued personally, the sources said.
Same for USAF jets.
UK jets can't make the trip because of "liability" laws...which is short hand by the Royal Navy to the USMC that you guys are out of your fucking minds if you think that we're flying those jets till we know what happened.
Unfortunately for the Brit pilots assigned to the program, they're on exchange duty and operate under USMC rules. That means you can still have British pilots flying the airplanes.
This whole thing has the whiff of MV-22 right before the mishap in the desert.
- The program was under intense scrutiny.
- Rumors of cancellation were swirling.
People died, pilots were smeared (they still haven't been cleared to this day) and money was wasted because they attempted to run when they should still have been walking.
- The Marine Corps was desperate to get it into service.
Lets hope that the massive effort to get the F-35 to Europe doesn't lead to a repeat of the MV-22 mishap in April 2000.
Somewhere out there, is a Law firm with a specialized Defence Affairs wing just waiting to make mega-bucks from even the smallest of glitches that might put pilots in danger. The fact that there are about a 100 of such machines flying around with the requisite number of pilots, might even be viewed as a Class Action Law Suite.
ReplyDeleteI have personally never heard of a weapons program getting sued, let alone successfuly but if something as dumb as Tort Reform can be passed................
The F-35B does not routinely fly missions as long as this proposed venture. It seems to be premature to be sending these jets across the Atlantic before their MTBF has stabilized to something more than 3-4 hours. And what happens if one has to divert - or worse - in the path of an impending hurricane?
ReplyDeletei hadn't even considered the hurricane issue! well done!
DeleteYou mean like hurricane Arthur?
DeleteThis might actually give them a chance to save some face. They can blame a "no-show" on the hurricane instead of mechanical/safety issues.
I think if British pilots on exchange thought that it was too dangerous they'd tell the USMC where they can shove their idea. I really don't think that the RAF or the FAA would allow their men to fly a dangerous aircraft, regardless of the situation.
ReplyDeleteyou don't understand the mentality do you? in a military unit the worse thing you can do is be seen as a non-hacker. why do you think guys charged machine gun nests or jumped on grenades or held there ground when a suicide bomber is coming at them?
Deleteits because the pack mentality rules. the strength of the pack is the wolf, the strength of the wolf is the pack. you have these pilots that are trying to get a plane across the finish line and they're going to do everything in their power make it happen.
thats why leadership is so important. the culture says mission accomplishment at all costs. its up to leadership to determine whether its worth the risk or not and thats why the UK is letting these pilots down as well as USMC leadership.
the risk is not worth it. a air show is not worth it!
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DeleteBut these are officers and at least in the British Armed Forces officers have a very different mentality to the other ranks. You say that the leadership decides if the risks are worth it but in Britain these guys are in part the leadership. While the USMC may be technically in charge of them right now they won't forget that they are British officers, British forces working under US command have in the past refused orders and I don't doubt the willingness of RAF and RN officers to do so again.
DeleteSome major developments on F-35 front.
ReplyDeleteYesterday, the ROK defense ministry finally settled on the twin-engine model as the final KFX configuration and hope to sign all contracts with relevant parties(prime contractor, the Indonesian government, and the technology consultant) by the end of this year, thereby formally rejecting the Lockheed proposed single-engine F110-GE-132 powered F-16 class "lower-cost" alternative.
Lockheed Martin has made it clear that they opposed the twin-engine model due to the fear of market cannibalization and vowed to stay out of it if the Korean government opted for the twin engine jet. This in turn will force the ROK Defense Ministry to negotiate with two other bidders Boeing and EADS Military who offered to participate on the government's term, but this comes at a price. The ROK Defense Ministry had to buy at least 40 copies of their jets. Depending on the outcome of the decision on Lockheed Martin's part, the ROK Defense Ministry may have to purchase 40 of either the F-15SA or the Typhoon and push back the F-35 purchase to a future date.
http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20140703/NEWS04/307030049/USMC-F-35-will-not-attend-UK-carrier-ceremony
ReplyDeleteBrit here, I am ASTONISHED that a serving flight planner could be sued under UK law just for doing his duty and especially if the fault lies outside his area of responsibility, it is lunacy of the first order.
ReplyDeleteBritish pilots will be flying the F-35's because they're on exchange duty with the USMC and are operating under our rules. the British jet that has been purchased will not be flying because its operating under UK rules that say the an investigation must be complete before a plane can be certified to fly.
Deletesorry it wasn't clear in the article.
Thanks for the heads-up.
DeleteF-35 Fleet Grounded: Air Show Flights May Still Happen
ReplyDelete03 Jul 2014 Colin Clark
"...UPDATE One decision has finally been made. Late Thursday evening the Office of Secretary of Defense announced that the F-35 fleet was officially grounded. That’s right. Both OSD and the Joint Program Office used the term grounded, meaning the fleet will not fly until further notice and the causes of the fire have been found and ameliorating actions recommended.
“The technical air worthiness authorities of the Department of the Air Force and Department of the Navy have issued a directive to ground the F-35 fleet based on initial findings from the runway fire incident that occurred at Eglin Air Force Base on Monday, June 23. The root cause of the incident remains under investigation. Additional inspections of F-35 engines have been ordered, and return to flight will be determined based on inspection results and analysis of engineering data,” the release says.
The Joint Program Office release says teams searching for a cause of the June 23 fire “have been unable to pinpoint the precise cause of the malfunction.” The head of the F-35 program. Air Force Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan release, said his people ”aim to do what is prudent for the Enterprise at large without compromising the ongoing mishap investigation.” That language about compromising the investigation is a clear sign of the political sensitivities of the investigation. UPDATE ENDS..."
http://breakingdefense.com/2014/07/crunch-time-looms-for-f-35bs-farnborough-or-bust/