F-35B Lightning (RAF & RN)

[NickC]

A $491 million contract awarded to BAE Systems Inc by Lockheed for an upgraded EW system AN/ASQ-239. The next-generation Storm EW spectrum warfare suite is built on a common core architecture with significantly upgraded hardware and software and can be upgraded in the field with software update for the future Block 4 Lot 17+ aircraft, production a/c coming off the production line sometime in late 2025/6?

New, high-performance sensors will boost the system’s ability to detect difficult-to-observe threats and more threats simultaneously.
The advanced EW capabilities will offer greater situational awareness, enhanced survivability and increased capabilities to counter modern threats, and is upgradable to address evolving threats with significantly upgraded hardware and software that improves sensing and signal-processing capabilities. presumably able to respond/jam to new tracking radar threats on the fly.

3 Apr 2023 PR
https://www.baesystems.com/en/article/m ... ng-threats

[SW1]

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/h ... y-missiles

[mr.fred]

I'm always dismayed about how much difficulty people seem to have with just-in-time and similar philosophies.

The problems described in the article is nothing to do with just-in-time. In that system you hold sufficient stocks to cover your needs until your supply chain can furnish more, then you work with your supply chain to make sure that they can deliver in time so you can reduce your stocks. This is just what you want with an aircraft that will be in service for decades and repeatedly upgraded, since it means that you won't be left holding large stocks of obsolete parts.
If your stocks aren't covering your needs, then you've got one of those steps wrong. You've estimated your need incorrectly, you've got your spares levels wrong and/or you've not got the supply chain you need.

Blaming just-in-time is a cop out that fails to acknowledge what the real problem is.

[Timmymagic]

The problems described in the article is nothing to do with just-in-time. In that system you hold sufficient stocks to cover your needs until your supply chain can furnish more, then you work with your supply chain to make sure that they can deliver in time so you can reduce your stocks.

Exactly. It's also a question of risk. You balance the risk of having to shut production/operations down vs the cost of having money tied up in stocks. The military don't seem to be able to balance that risk in contracts sufficiently well (albeit forced by Treasuries to minimise stock holdings). Its the same with munition holdings, you either hold enough to defeat the threats you face or you hold enough that will keep you fighting until production can keep you continuously supplied with what you need. We can clearly see with the situation with artillery stocks that the West has neglected both sides of that equation.

[Caribbean]

Just-in-time is basically just Inventory Control, with minimal allowance for changes to demand. It relies on automated ordering, minimised variation in order quantities over time (or where demand is cyclical, variation according to a predictable pattern). Excellent for continuous process industries, production-line manufacturers etc.

Basically. it works well for predictable workloads. It does not work well in circumstances where usage of an item may vary from minimal levels to greater than the capacity of the supplier within days.

[Timmymagic]

Just-in-time is basically just Inventory Control, with minimal allowance for changes to demand. It relies on automated ordering, minimised variation in order quantities over time (or where demand is cyclical, variation according to a predictable pattern). Excellent for continuous process industries, production-line manufacturers etc.

Basically. it works well for predictable workloads. It does not work well in circumstances where usage of an item may vary from minimal levels to greater than the capacity of the supplier within days.

And not for one where purchase orders enter a bureaucratic nightmare of endless governance...

[new guy]

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerosp ... 023-04-28/
US DoD orders 126 F-35 for $7.8bn.
thats $62m per jet
or todays conversion rate, £50m. surely whe have £5bn around to order 100?

[new guy]

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerosp ... 023-04-28/
US DoD orders 126 F-35 for $7.8bn.
thats $62m per jet
or todays conversion rate, £50m. surely whe have £5bn around to order 100?

Or should I say 66 considering -B and not as in the case above of mix A,B,C.
(Yes I know MoD has a entirely different ordering method, with +26 last forcasted as a £6.4bn deal, but lets pretend)
so,
50 for 2 new squadrons
6 as to retire, replace,then fill the gap of the 3 US trainer ones.
4 to fill the previous order to full 50
6 as spears

resultant is
4x 25 F-35B squadrons
1x 3 F-35B US training squadron
1x 6 or less F-35B spare squadron
1x 1+ F-35B at the bottom of the sea squadron
1x 3 F-35B Retired/ stored for later use squadron

Then we just need to build a F-35B maintenance facility that in 15 years starts building 4 new ones a year + attrition rate and boom! Sustainment. Chuck a couple Liftfan 2.0, XA100, block 2 billion software upgrade, tempest radar, tempest compatibility, new RAM over the years and then ......

[new guy]

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerosp ... 023-04-28/
US DoD orders 126 F-35 for $7.8bn.
thats $62m per jet
or todays conversion rate, £50m. surely whe have £5bn around to order 100?

Or should I say 66 considering -B and not as in the case above of mix A,B,C.
(Yes I know MoD has a entirely different ordering method, with +26 last forcasted as a £6.4bn deal, but lets pretend)
so,
50 for 2 new squadrons
6 as to retire, replace,then fill the gap of the 3 US trainer ones.
4 to fill the previous order to full 50
6 as spears

resultant is
4x 25 F-35B squadrons
1x 3 F-35B US training squadron
1x 6 or less F-35B spare squadron
1x 1+ F-35B at the bottom of the sea squadron
1x 3 F-35B Retired/ stored for later use squadron

Then we just need to build a F-35B maintenance facility that in 15 years starts building 4 new ones a year + attrition rate and boom! Sustainment. Chuck a couple Liftfan 2.0, XA100, block 2 billion software upgrade, tempest radar, tempest compatibility, new RAM over the years and then ......

[new guy]

Like I said before, but with UKDJ article

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/average ... -aircraft/


More accurately £50m. so with previous MoD statement saying new order would cost £6.7bn, that would get us 134 in US DoD terms.