A collection of media from today’s handover
On July 19, 2012, the United Kingdom took delivery of its first F-35 Lightning II jet during a ceremony at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas. The jet, BK-1, is an F-35B STOVL model.
On July 19, 2012, the United Kingdom took delivery of its first F-35 Lightning II jet during a ceremony at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas. The jet, BK-1, is an F-35B STOVL model. Here Lockheed Martin Chairman and CEO Bob Stevens addresses the crowd.
On July 19, 2012, the United Kingdom took delivery of its first F-35 Lightning II jet during a ceremony at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas. The jet, BK-1, is an F-35B STOVL model. Here Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP, UK Secretary of State for Defence, addresses the crowd.
On July 19, 2012, the United Kingdom took delivery of its first F-35 Lightning II jet during a ceremony at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas. The jet, BK-1, is an F-35B STOVL model. Pictured is Vice Admiral David Venlet, F-35 Lightning II Program Executive Officer, handing the first UK F-35’s log book to Air Member for Materiel and Chief of Materiel (Air) Air Marshal Sir Kevin Leeson.
On July 19, 2012, the United Kingdom took delivery of its first F-35 Lightning II jet during a ceremony at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas. The jet, BK-1, is an F-35B STOVL model. Pictured (left to right): Robert Stevens, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lockheed Martin; Frank Kendall, U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics; Sir George Zambellas, UK Fleet Commander and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff; Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP, UK Secretary of State for Defence; Larry Lawson, Executive Vice President, Lockheed Martin Corporation and President, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics company; Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, UK Chief of the Air Staff; Air Marshal Sir Kevin Leeson; Air Member for Materiel and Chief of Materiel (Air); Vice Admiral David Venlet, F-35 Lightning II Program Executive Officer; Tom Burbage, Executive Vice President and General Manager, F-35 JSF Program Integration
On July 19, 2012, the United Kingdom took delivery of its first F-35 Lightning II jet during a ceremony at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas. The jet, BK-1, is an F-35B STOVL model. Here BK-1 takes off for its inaugural flight with a Royal Air Force pilot at the helm.
On July 19, 2012, the United Kingdom took delivery of its first F-35 Lightning II jet during a ceremony at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas. The jet, BK-1, is an F-35B STOVL model. Here BK-1 makes its inaugural flight with a Royal Air Force pilot at the helm.
On July 19, 2012, the United Kingdom took delivery of its first F-35 Lightning II jet during a ceremony at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas. The jet, BK-1, is an F-35B STOVL model. Here BK-1 makes its inaugural flight with a Royal Air Force pilot at the helm
On July 19, 2012, the United Kingdom took delivery of its first F-35 Lightning II jet during a ceremony at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas. The jet, BK-1, is an F-35B STOVL model. Here BK-1 makes its inaugural flight with a Royal Air Force pilot at the helm.
On July 19, 2012, the United Kingdom took delivery of its first F-35 Lightning II jet during a ceremony at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas. The jet, BK-1, is an F-35B STOVL model. Here BK-1 makes its inaugural flight with a Royal Air Force pilot at the helm.
On July 19, 2012, the United Kingdom took delivery of its first F-35 Lightning II jet during a ceremony at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas. The jet, BK-1, is an F-35B STOVL model. Here BK-1 makes its inaugural flight with a Royal Air Force pilot at the helm.
And a video
And the press release
FORT WORTH, Texas, July 19, 2012 – The United Kingdom accepted the first international Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35 Lightning II aircraft in a ceremony today with senior representatives of the U.K. Ministry of Defence and the U.S. Department of Defense.
The Right Honourable Philip Hammond, U.K. Secretary of State for Defence, and Mr. Frank Kendall, U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, represented their governments.
“We are here to celebrate an important ‘first’ among so many milestones associated with the F-35 program,” said Bob Stevens, Lockheed Martin chairman and chief executive officer. “It’s fitting that our first delivery to an international partner is to the United Kingdom, because without sustained British innovation over many generations, we would not have an event to celebrate today.”
The U.K. was the first of eight international partners to join the F-35 program and plans to acquire the F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft.
Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 with its principal industrial partners, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. Headquartered in the U.K., BAE Systems brings a rich heritage of capabilities to the F-35 program, including short takeoff and vertical landing experience, advanced lean manufacturing, flight testing and air systems sustainment, and is responsible for the F-35’s aft fuselage, fuel system, crew escape and life support systems. The U.K. will play a vital role in the F-35’s global production, follow-on development and sustainment over the next 40 years, bringing strong economic benefits to the country.
The F-35 Lightning II is a 5th Generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment. Three distinct variants of the F-35 will replace the A-10 and F-16 for the U.S. Air Force, the F/A-18 for the U.S. Navy, the F/A-18 and AV8-B Harrier for the U.S. Marine Corps, and a variety of fighters for at least 10 other countries.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 120,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation’s net sales for 2011 were $46.5 billion.
Read more at BAE
And another video
Have to say the pictures look pretty gd especially the first one they do they PR well over there.
As TD has produced this post I will put this link here to apparently our first 3 jets have cost use just under £300m and most likely now to be based at RAF Marham.
http://www.defensenews.com/article/20120719/DEFREG01/307190001/U-K-Order-First-Production-F-35-Training?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
Agreed. That first pic is rather menacing.
When is it coming over?
Is it a true production model?
What are its capabilities – in terms of systems and weapons?
Will we try it off Lusty?
If we get them at the £100m mark they’re a bargain!
Burger King One.
Sweet we finally have one.
What is happening with the C model we ordered before we re-realised our strategic aspirations (ie, changed our minds)?
Phil
Turns out we never actually order a F35c version. It was only proposed and the us agreed in principle to swap one over we changed are mind before putting our money on the table.
Simon it or any of the first 3 will never leave the US it will stay there for test and training. Think lrip 3 onwards are all production standard though the shedule been re done so many times I’ve lost count.
@ Mark
Re the first three, I think the plan is now to move them to California at Edwards at some stage, I think they will form a TES with shared arragements with the USAF Sqns that will be stationed there eventually. Nice posting if you can get it
Mark,
So does that mean we’re not likely to be able to test it off Lusty?
I just think it would be a welcome sight and a great handover to the new era seeing an F35B launch and land on our old carriers
Topman
Cheers at least it will guarentee proper summer weather all year round!! Unlike our excuse for one
Lusty could always sail to Florida but I doubt it very much
@Simon not much real point really though given you’d have to get the jet to Lusty or vice versa and then it wouldn’t be much use without the concept of operations being sorted, being only one jet and the weapons integration only just starting. Lots of needless expense just to have to do it all again when QE has come out of sea trials and is ready for deck testing to begin.
Plus I suspect the jet really is going to get used for training our ground crews and logistics guys and proper flying won’t start until all three jets are available and a cadre of trained ‘ground crew’ exist.
@ Mark
All year round good weather and close to NTTR makes it a good choice, well it was first choice last time I checked anyway.
One down.
How many hundreds of back orders left to fill?
When did we start marking roundels on only one wing, a la USAF? That said, liking the low viz scheme.
I don’t mind the roundels, it’s the words “shoot here” in the middle that bugs me.
@ Simon/all
I can’t remember now where I’ve read it but, the first 3 are to stay in the US for testing/training/evaluation. The fourth F-35b we ordered this year will be the first one delivered to the UK in around 2015, I think?, so by the time QE is completed and starts her sea trials we should have a couple over here ready to test deck systems/deck handling around 2018.
That said QE is supposed to be structurally complete by the end of 2013 so it’s possible that in 2015 just before the election we could see a nice bit off PR with QE starting her trails and the UK’s only F-35 taking off from her for the press or am I just being Mr cynical?
Not roundels, it should be marked with £££ signs, with the subtext “total waste of cash” also picked out in dark grey on light grey lettering. Also “could have been a proper marinised WAH-64D, and lots of them, which would have been more useful” somewhere else on the fuselage.
If I’ve got this right, the three that we have bought thus far are operational test and evaluation cabs. That means they will at first sit in the states and help fill in the dots in the test programme. Whether they actually become part of the operational fleet some years from now is another question.
They / it will not fly off Lusty. Insufficient MPa in the flightdeck structure……
Reading defensenews.com, the first production model Lightning for the UK (the fourth aircraft) is scheduled for 2015-16.
RT Saving the utility argument for the inevitable moving forward thread. Surely rather than attempting to marinise Apache we could just buy this baby off the shelf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_AH-1Z_Viper
The first six UK aircraft are to remain in the US for training. What’s not clear is this six production standard aircraft or the three operational test and evaluation plus three production standard.
well, its something – something physical to all that money and time and embarassment.
Good to see Hackett on the team (BBC report), good bloke.
I really do hope we form an OCU in the US proper – just like every other country ordering the type – RAF and RN could use the facilities and mass of experience at a lesser cost/airframes… RN can stream onto USMC carrier qualls as well.
Interesting to see they have developed a carrier ramp over there as well.
long way to go, but a tinge of pride seeing one with the union flag there.
RT –
our apaches may be more properly marinised during their intended upgrade; would be interesting to see where they place the planned float-bags…apache with arm-bands!
@ Mike
The plan is to have the OCU in the UK, it will be the TES (OEU) that will be in the US.
Think this maybe the report mike was referring to.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18919388
Dispite some factual issues in the journo written piece the two videos offer a bit of insight. We will have a/c number 2 next month.
Ooh, look. CM(A) is a kevin called Kevin – James should be in fits!
Also, BK-1 took off with an RAF pilot “at the Helm”? Really? I thought the RAF were always “at the controls”. I find it hard to visualise a sqn ldr or PO with a tiller in his hands!
“I find it hard to visualise a sqn ldr or PO with a tiller in his hands!”
Well it does say on their website about being an ‘Agile, Adaptable’ air force
Just added another video
Mike, are they seriously planning on putting float bags on the Apache? Hope they work better than those on Lynx! Not many successful float bag deployments in that programme’s history. Anyway, with all that weight up top the thing will be over in no time at all – hope they work upside down!
The jet looks good – should bloody well hope so considering the cost. Chunky bugger isn’t it?
@ All?
With regards to the “first” 48 we are ordering, does this start with BK-4 we are ordering next year or not?
Also has anybody heard anything about potential Squadrons assigned to the F-35b? I ask because 1 Sqn was a Harrier squadron and is now standing up with Typhoon? I’d assume 617 would be a safe bet, because if you asked joe public to name an RAF squadron you can bet the Dambusters will be up there in the top answers.
As for FAA squadron(s), everybody seems to think it will be 800/801 (if 2 FAA squadrons are eventually stood up) which I think is rather dull. What do people think of the chances that we may get an FAA squadron labelled as 809NAS (fitting as its phoenix badge symbolises the return to carrier aviation after the hiatus) or 892NAS (motto: strike unseen – very appt for a “stealth” aircraft)?
SomeWhat
“Mike, are they seriously planning on putting float bags on the Apache?”
Well it has to be for a full marinisation/safety (its already ‘readied’ to stand a few days of ops) – its weight already means that if it crash lands on the water the crew stand little chance, I’ve been told that escape from its cockpit underwater/in immersion is a major concern of the AAC. The floats will be for ‘a few mins to GTFO’ (maybe just one under the forward ‘fuse) – but its a serious requirement for more substanctial ops from sea, which is something we should fully exploit post afghan.
As with sqn’s, Mintcakc Maker, Combat experience and period active (front line) is also a big contributor to sqn placement (for RAF, not sure re FAA).
@ Loon Pants,
They are all called Kevin, and if they are not, they all still think, sound and act like a Kevin from some low grade suburb who has spent too much time on the X-Box (currently banned in the RT household after a not-cleaning-up-their-bedrooms mutiny by the juniors: they are going to discover that my patience is infinitely longer than theirs’). Also, the lardy spendy jet is called BK-1, which surely stands for “British Kevin 1″.
I once did not buy a car because it had on the number plate “KEV”. It would have been too shameful.
Anyone fancy a laugh
http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2012/05/a-conversation-with-the-phoenix-think-tank/
Skip to the end
@Somewhat and @RT
Must say I’m quite impresses with the Marine’s Viper despite marinisation. Below is the response to a parliamentary question.
“While not originally designed as a maritime helicopter, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has modified and cleared the Apache to support operations from the maritime environment as demonstrated from HMS Ocean on Operation Ellamy. The modifications included wet-sealing the aircraft to resist corrosion and modifying the windscreen wipers to include a solution to disperse sea spray. We are also currently in an assessment phase to fit flotation equipment to increase safety when operating over water.
The Apache is currently armed with variants of the Hellfire missile which are due to go out of service in 2021-22. The MOD will look at various options as a replacement to this capability. The successor to Brimstone, the 50kg class Spear Capability 2 Block 3 missile, will be one of the options considered as a replacement.”
Opinion3, Or we could just buy whatever the US are going to replace hell fire with on their Apaches?
@Mintcake Maker
Absolutely with you – 809 and 892 make a nice change from 800 & 801.
@RT – what’s wrong with coming from the ‘burbs…?
George,
you can’t go for a run on your own land, there’s all sorts of jobsworths who will stop a young man from developing his woodcraft and anti-wood pigeon sniping skills with an illegally enhanced air rifle in the municipal park, there are not very many old people around who can show you how to dress said dead wood pigeon and fry with wild garlic on a woodland fire, there are not very many rabbits to trap and also eat, and to boot if you live in a semi, you have to put up with the neighbours’ nocturnal habits (I had a girlfriend once in a semi – beats me how she stayed in the house when next door was like a war zone).
Apart from that, very little. Oh, you can’t have your favourite old troop Sergeant’s young son (last seen at age 5, now a strapping 25 year old with his own family) come to take his kids camping and to learn to pick the gooseberry bushes, and lend him a thirty year old illegal air rifle for his week’s stay on the edge of the wood so that he too can teach his kids about shooting some wood pigeon).
@APATS
Indeed, although I understand the Spear Cap2 Blk3 is being developed as an updated Brimstone for our jets Tornado; Typhoon; and F35. The USAF is apparently interested and asking about its capabilities and development plan.
One of the Spear objectives was to develop an indigenous/Euro missile industry, so I reckon they will lose the Hellfire. The Brimstones seem to be being developed into everything short of a shoulder launched missile. It looks like the US’s replacement, the JAGM, is a long way off fruition and given their cuts have yet to come and they have large stocks of hellfire, maverick etc it might well keep getting delayed. If our programmes go to plan we should have a good missile for a lot less than a US equivalent.
Article is here :http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/joint-common-missile-program-fired-but-not-forgotten-0229/
Opinion 3, “If our programmes go to plan we should have a good missile for a lot less than a US equivalent’. Well I suppose a pan European project must create something other than jobs for the boys eventually.
As you have to bring everyone inside a big tent, it is easy to forget (because of the naming convention) that Spear 1 & 2 are effectively Brimstone enhancements, whereas the 3 is a slimmed down SS
RIP Lt Alfred Henry Templeman-Lorraine Yates-Speer RFC. Great Uncle Harry, shot down today 96 years ago over the Somme battlefield. Buried in London Cemetery, Neuville-Vitasse.
@RT – All good skills to fly a £100m stealth fighter I am sure!
I hope you are being tongue in cheek – so difficult to tell on the net. I’ve always enjoyed your posts and amusing asides, but there are about 100 people who live the way you describe now and it was always a bit of mythical golden age. I am sure most of the servicemen in the last two worldwars came from towns and cities and not the countryside.
Mind you, the way the army is being cut, maybe you’ll only need those 100 people from the landed gentry!
Ultimately it should not matter if your name is Tarquin or Kevin, George or James*, if you have the intelligence and potential, one’s background or the geography you grew up in should not matter a jot. All the skills you mentioned are teachable at any age.
* I Do draw the line at Wayne though!
PS – All due respect to your Great Uncle Harry.
@RT again – sorry – I just remembered you saying that the only things you were serious about were Sex, Recce and UAVs, so I probably shouldn’t have risen to your outrageous comments!
George,
not that mythical at all (“golden age”), and while you certainly do have a larger social point, it is not exclusively enduring. One of my best Troopers – he was years later the RSM – was a country boy from Shropshire who grew up on a farm. He just knew how to move about the countryside quietly and unobtrusively – I did not have to train him. He and I borrowed for a few hours a couple of ponies to do a recce on an exchange exercise with the Italian army near to Udine, and his riding was more than competent. We did ask the owner, BTW, and left her 200 duty free cigarettes in payment.
I do regret that young children today seem to be alienated from the natural world around them. I teach my two all that I know, but I’m lucky in that I have some land. But that should be no barrier – you can teach your child about fire-starting and shelter in a suburban back garden, and there are millions of miles of footpaths and public access roaming land where you can teach proper navigation, camping out*** and so on.
*** Yes I know that it’s technically against the law, but let’s face it law is a guidance for wise men, and the obedience of fools. Get 100 metres off a footpath and no one’s going to find you, and if they do, in addition to being moved on, you’ll need to reflect on what gave you away and use it as a learning point.
@ACC
You’re mixing up your blocks and Capabilities. The different blocks of Spear Capability 2 are the developments of current Brimstone, the shorter-range anti-tank/FAC weapon. Spear Capability 3 is the 100km-range missile, but is not the same as Capability 2 Block 3.
The success of Brimstone is in marked contrast to the US’ efforts in small anti-surface missiles, what with JCM cancelled, JAGM nearly cancelled (instead booted into long grass) and NLOS cancelled. SDB-II seeker mated to Hellfire seems their most likely option now. I thought it was interesting Bob Work commenting on ID recently, in a thread on the LCS that
“If we want an over the horizon stick, Harpoon probably the most cost effective option right now, with the new offensive ASuW missile in trail.
Right now, long-range engagement weapon remains armed helo with Hellfire, soon to be replaced by the digital rocket launcher armed with APKWS followed by LOGIR.
Mid-range engagement weapon probably Griffin (spiral I), ER Griffin-like weapon with fire and forget seeker (spiral II), horizon range fire and forget weapon (spiral III).
Outer ship engagement zone: 57 mm with 3P ammo
Inner ship engagement zone: 30 mm
RAM/SeaRAM for ASCM self defense.
Can add Harpoon and RAM HAS if necessary. ”
Spot any similarities between “Griffin spiral II” and MBDA’s recent rush to prove up surface-launched Sea Brimstone?
PS Is it any wonder that the F-35 has problems, when they put a Vice Admiral in charge of building a plane?
[Yep, I know, Venlet has a distinguished career on Tomcats including a DFC and Top Gun instructor. Still doesn't look right though.]
Thanks El Sid, with such naming convention, easily done.
BTW, did they not fire the airforce general and had to to get an admiral instead (for the programme)?
@El Sid
The Spear program certainly appears to be well thought through and working. Well done MBDA (not to be mistaken with MBNA who should be taken down with a missile). These developments really don’t seem to be fantasy land. Although I recollect the plan overlooks one significant capability ….. I can’t remember what at the moment but I think it might be antisub.
Still not convinced that F35Bs should end up with the RAF, surely if Marham is going to get planes then As or Cs would be better. (Cs ‘cos we could refuel them!!). The FAA need to get on with the jobs without RAF interference, give them MPA and F35Bs and they’ll look after the Nation and kit, the boys in light blue might or might not.
@RT – You make some valid points old chap, and I agree that someone brought up in the country is going to make a better recce trooper than some brought up in Toxteth or Brixton. Outdoor skills are important, and what meagre knowledge (having been brought up in the ‘burbs too, in case you haven’t already guessed) I have I will pass on to my young ‘un, but I daresay he’ll learn more when I pack him off to the Cadets!
The only point I was making was that those skills are not the same as those required to be Fighter pilor or a ship’s commander.
Sorry everyone else – we are probably just a little bit off the thread. I’ll shut up now.
RT, if I ever get to meet I will happily buy you a drink – I am sure you have plenty more tales to tell.
@ Opinion 3 – Tend to agree, they should be based at Yeovilton and let the FAA get on with it and get up to strength. Only then do the RAF get a sniff.
George,
here you go, to pass on to your young one. This will work in suburbia.
Kill one wood pigeon (not the scraggly sort of town pigeon).
Pull off the feathers from both sides of the breast, from collared neck down to where the body stops being fleshy. Leave the rest – of no use to you.
Take the very sharp pocket knife every boy should always carry and slice off the breasts.
Fry in very shallow oil for one minute on the bone side, then 2 minutes on the skin side. Garlic is good, but not essential. Slice into strips and make 2 sandwiches. More than enough calories to last you all day, and truly delicious.
(If you are organised, it is possible to do all of this and be eating your sandwich less than 5 minutes after the bird was flying about innocently)
George,
above also works – unsurprisingly – with pheasant, duck and chicken, albeit with longer cooking times. Those birds are also easy to acquire, although Joe Public might take more notice and it may involve some poaching. Best to slice the duck breasts into two (horizontally), as they are quite thick.
If you bash up the carcase a bit and leave it in a heap surrounded by feathers it only looks like a fox got the bird. Or bury it.
@rt
James, thanks for the culinary tips, will help with the summer holiday activities!
All tips gratefully accepted!
George,
get him to make some feathersticks – very very useful little skill (actually, not hard at all). You can do it with just about any twig or small branch that is not soaking wet, and with most things from a sharp blade to the knapped edge of a flint. Watch his eyes light up as he makes a proper fire in less than 2 minutes with what he finds about him on the woodland floor.
Then introduce him to the covert cooker. Two holes each about 12 inches wide and 18 inches deep, next to each other. Carefully make a little fist-sized tunnel between them as deep as you can get. Half fill one with wood for burning, leave the other empty. Get the fire going and you’ll have a roaring little fire to cook your brew and supper upon that won’t show a glow or give your position away.
Tell him to steal some of his mother’s cotton balls or cotton pads for removing the makeup. Nearly the best firestarter going. When he’s old enough, introduce him to tampons as being even better fire starters.
If he has been seriously good with passing exams, buy him one of these. UK street legal, it will last him a lifetime: http://edenwebshops.co.uk/en/pt/-fallkniven-sk3-juni.htm#tabbutton1 (I’ve still got mine – not a Fallkniven, but similar) that my old man gave me when I was 9. Never leaves my pocket, goes everywhere.