Russian VKS developing Tu-214 as new AEW&C aircraft

Iraq receives final F-16s

The original title is: Lockheed Martin Says F-35A Flight Hour Stretch Goal Achievable

Why did you change it?

Dude, I don’t have an agenda ok? the F-35 program is of very little interest to me personally speaking. The Aviation Week article says “Achievable” but there was another similar article titled

“
Pentagon Says F-35 Flight Hour Stretch Goal Unachievable

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report May 02, 2019 , p. 5

Lee Hudson “

The Pentagon admits its $25,000 flight hour stretch goal for the Lockheed MartinF-35A is unrealistic to attain by fiscal 2025.

There are several studies ongoing surrounding F-35 flight hour cost at the Pentagon and there is no path to get to $25,000 by fiscal 2025. Currently, the F-35A cost per flight hour is $44,000, Bob Daigle, Cost Assessment And Program Evaluation (CAPE) director, told the House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee May 2.

“That’s a target and it’s not our projection of where we’re actually going to be,” Daigle said.

Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin said in February the company was committed to the $25,000 cost target goal by 2025. “I have a lot of confidence we’re going to get there. And every day I see the actions of that partnership,” said O.J. Sanchez, sustainment innovation and operations vice president.

The F-35 enterprise highlights flight hour cost targets in its lifecycle sustainability plan (LSP) that was approved in January. The LSP has eight lines of effort that assess cost per flying hour, cost per tail per year and overall ownership cost, Vice Adm. Mat Winter, F-35 program executive officer, told reporters May 2 after the subcommittee hearing.

“All of those levers that are in the LSP give us the confidence that we can go from $44,000 a flight hour to $34,000 a flight hour in 2024,” Winter said.

The LSP has the $25,000 flight hour stretch goal by 2025 in the document. “That will be very, very hard to meet but it’s FY ‘19 right now and we have a number of years,” he said.

On average the cost per flight hour for the F-35 must be reduced by 7-12% each year. “The 25 by 25 wasn’t generated by the program office nor the CAPE. It was stretch goal given to us by our leadership,” Winter said.

Lockheed Martin says F-35A flight hour cost stretch goal achievable

Lockheed Martin inaugurates new F-16 production facility

India, France Hold Large Naval Warfare Exercise Involving 2 Aircraft Carriers

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2019/04/mdl-launched-3rd-visakhapatnam-class-project-15b-destroyer-for-indian-navy/

Charles de Gaulle in Goa for exercises with the Indian Navy’s INS Vikramaditya.

INS Vela, Indian Navy’s 4th Scorpene submarine was launched.

INS Vela, Indian Navy’s 4th Scorpene class submarine launched

MUMBAI: The Navy on Monday launched the Scorpene-class submarine Vela, the fourth of six underwater warships being built in India with French collaboration, with an aim to boost Indian capability to defend and secure the strategic sea lanes.

The Vela submarine will undergo a number of tests conducted by the Navy before it is commissioned in the defence fleet, an official said.

Defence production secretary Ajay Kumar’s wife Veena Ajay Kumar launched the submarine at Mazagon Dockyard in Mumbai.

The state-owned Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited has entered into a contract for construction and transfer of technology for six Scorpene-class subs with French collaborator Ms Naval Group (formerly DCNS). INS Vela is the fourth in that series.

The fifth Scorpene-class submarine will be launched soon, an MDL official said.

Before Vela, MDL launched Kalvari, Khanderi, Karanj submarines.

While Kalvari has been commissioned, the others are at various levels of trials and tests.

INS Vela was first commissioned on August 31, 1973 in the Indian Naval Service and continued to serve for 37 years. It was the country’s oldest submarine when it was decommissioned on June 25, 2010, MDL said in a statement.

“Today, we are bringing the new Vela with modern machinery and technology to guard the seas,” the MDL official said.

Eight warships and five submarines are under construction at MDL, the company said, adding the submarines’ capacity includes anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare.

Addressing a gathering at the Mazagon dock, defence production secretary Kumar said, “MDL was the first shipyard in the country to build submarines way back in 1992, when the dock built INS Shalki.”

The first submarine in the Scorpene class, INS Kalvari, has been commissioned, and the second is on the cusp of delivery, he said.

The third submarine has successfully completed its deep diving trials and with the launch of the fourth on Monday, the MDL has retained the world-class skills required for submarine construction, he said.

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