Auditor General defends investigation into F-35 file
By Lee Berthiaume, Postmedia News April 26, 2012 11:02 AM
Read more: http://www.canada.com/news/Auditor+General+defends+investigation+into+file/6523266/story.html#ixzz1tA5FHrLn
OTTAWA — Auditor General Michael Ferguson said Thursday he is not "nitpicking" in calling for the government and Defence Department to disclose all costs associated with the F-35 stealth fighter.
"I don't believe we were nitpicking in any way," Ferguson told a parliamentary committee. "What we were saying is there were some important things that were missing."
Ferguson released a scathing report earlier this month that was highly critical of the way the F-35 file had been handled, particularly the Defence Department's failure to reveal the fighter would cost Canada at least $25 billion — $10 billion more than it was reporting to Parliament.
The Conservative government later admitted it was aware of the larger price tag weeks before the federal election, but it had done nothing wrong as it had been talking about the plan to purchase and maintain the F-35s over 20 years.
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OTTAWA — A retired air force fleet manager fired a salvo at the F-35 Wednesday, saying the strike fighter is ill-suited for Arctic missions and may become obsolete soon after it enters service.
Meanwhile, Liberal defence critic John McKay has asked Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page for a new analysis of the F-35 program costs.
Retired colonel Paul Maillet, an aerospace engineer and former CF-18 fleet manager, said the F-35 does not meet the needs of the government's Canada First Defence Strategy, a key pillar of which is Arctic sovereignty.
"How do you get a single-engine, low-range, low-payload, low-manoeuvrability aircraft that is being optimized for close air support . . . to operate effectively in the North?" he asked.
Read more: http://www.canada.com/business/wrong+choice+Arctic+retired+colonel+argues/6513252/story.html#ixzz1tA5kUhzH
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Specifications (F-35A)
F-35A three-view.PNG
The first of 15 pre-production F-35s
F-35B cutaway with LiftFan
External images
F-35B Lightning II cutaway illustration
Hi-res cutaway of F-35B Lightning II STOVL by Flight Global, 2006.
Data from Lockheed Martin specifications,[132][343][344] F-35 Program brief,[170] F-35 JSF Statistics[165]
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 51.4 ft (15.67 m)
Wingspan: 35 ft[N 5] (10.7 m)
Height: 14.2 ft[N 6] (4.33 m)
Wing area: 460 ft²[170] (42.7 m²)
Empty weight: 29,300 lb (13,300 kg)
Loaded weight: 49,540 lb[131][N 7][345] (22,470 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 70,000 lb[N 8] (31,800 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney F135 afterburning turbofan
Dry thrust: 28,000 lbf[346][N 9] (125 kN)
Thrust with afterburner: 43,000 lbf[346][347] (191 kN)
Internal fuel capacity: 18,480 lb (8,382 kg)[N 10]
Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 1.6+[165] (1,200 mph, 1,930 km/h) (Tested to Mach 1.61)[267]
Range: 1,200 nmi (2,220 km) on internal fuel
Combat radius: 584 nmi[348] (1,080 km) on internal fuel[349]
Service ceiling: 60,000 ft[350] (18,288 m) (Tested to 43,000 ft)[351]
Rate of climb: classified (not publicly available)
Wing loading: 91.4 lb/ft² (446 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: **With full fuel: 0.87
With 50% fuel: 1.07
g-Limits: 9 g[N 11]
Armament
Guns: 1 × General Dynamics GAU-22/A Equalizer 25 mm (0.984 in) 4-barreled gatling cannon, internally mounted with 180 rounds[N 12][165]
Hardpoints: 6 × external pylons on wings with a capacity of 15,000 lb (6,800 kg)[165][170] and 2 internal bays with 2 pylons each[170] for a total weapons payload of 18,000 lb (8,100 kg)[132] and provisions to carry combinations of:
Missiles: ** Air-to-air missiles:
AIM-120 AMRAAM
AIM-9X Sidewinder
IRIS-T
MBDA Meteor (Pending further funding)[352]
JDRADM (after 2020)[353]
Air-to-surface missiles:
AGM-154 JSOW
AGM-158 JASSM[171]
Brimstone missile
Joint Air-to-Ground Missile
Storm Shadow missile
SOM
Anti-ship missiles:
JSM
Bombs: ***Mark 84, Mark 83 and Mark 82 GP bombs
Mk.20 Rockeye II cluster bomb
Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser capable
Paveway-series laser-guided bombs
Small Diameter Bomb (SDB)
JDAM-series
B61 nuclear bomb[354]
Avionics
Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems AN/APG-81 AESA radar
Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems AN/AAQ-37 Distributed Aperture System (DAS) missile warning system
BAE Systems AN/ASQ-239 (Barracuda) electronic warfare system
Harris Corporation Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL) communication system
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Specifications (F/A-18E/F)
Three view projection of the Super Hornet
Three different color schemes for F/A-18E
Three different color schemes for F/A-18F
Data from U.S. Navy fact file,[13] Aerospaceweb[110][111]
General characteristics
Crew: F/A-18E: 1, F/A-18F: 2
Length: 60 ft 1¼ in (18.31 m)
Wingspan: 44 ft 8½ in (13.62 m)
Height: 16 ft (4.88 m)
Wing area: 500 ft² (46.5 m²)
Empty weight: 32,081 lb (14,552 kg)
Loaded weight: 47,000 lb (21,320 kg) (in fighter configuration)
Max. takeoff weight: 66,000 lb (29,937 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × General Electric F414-GE-400 turbofans
Dry thrust: 13,000 lbf (62.3 kN) each
Thrust with afterburner: 22,000 lbf (97.9 kN) each
Internal fuel capacity: F/A-18E: 14,400 lb (6,780 kg), F/A-18F: 13,550 lb (6,354 kg)
External fuel capacity: 5 × 480 gal tanks, totaling 16,380 lb (7,381 kg)
Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 1.8+[13] (1,190 mph, 1,900 km/h) at 40,000 ft (12,190 m)
Range: 1,275 nmi (2,346 km) clean plus two AIM-9s[13]
Combat radius: 390 nmi (449 mi, 722 km) for interdiction mission[112]
Ferry range: 1,800 nmi (2,070 mi, 3,330 km)
Service ceiling: 50,000+ ft (15,000+ m)
Rate of climb: 44,882 ft/min[citation needed] (228 m/s)
Wing loading: 94.0 lb/ft² (459 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.93
Design load factor: 7.6 g[44]
Armament
Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61 Vulcan nose mounted gatling gun, 578 rounds
Hardpoints: 11 total: 2× wingtips, 6× under-wing, and 3× under-fuselage with a capacity of 17,750 lb (8,050 kg) external fuel and ordnance
Missiles:
Air-to-air missiles:
4× AIM-9 Sidewinder or 4× AIM-120 AMRAAM, and
2× AIM-7 Sparrow or additional 2× AIM-120 AMRAAM
Air-to-surface missiles:
AGM-65 Maverick
Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM-ER)
AGM-88 HARM Anti-radiation missile
AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW)
Anti-ship missile:
AGM-84 Harpoon
Bombs:
JDAM Precision-guided munition (PGMs)
Paveway series of Laser guided bombs
Mk 80 series of unguided iron bombs
CBU-87 cluster
CBU-78 Gator
CBU-97
Mk 20 Rockeye II
Others:
SUU-42A/A Flares/Infrared decoys dispenser pod and chaff pod or
Electronic countermeasures (ECM) pod or
AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR Targeting pods or
up to 3× 330 US gallon (1,200 L) Sargent Fletcher drop tanks for ferry flight or extended range/loitering time or
1× 330 US gal (1,200 L) tank and 4× 480 US gal (1,800 L) tanks for aerial refueling system (ARS).
Avionics
Hughes APG-73 or Raytheon APG-79 Radar
Northrop Grumman/ITT AN/ALE-165 self-protection jammer pod or BAE Systems AN/ALE-214 integrated defensive electronic countermeasures system
Raytheon AN/ALE-50 or BAE Systems AN/ALE-55 towed decoy
Northrop Grumman AN/ALR-67(V)3 radar warning receiver
MIDS LVT or MIDS JTRS datalink transceiver
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...who else controls and investigates Canada's finances ? THE AUDITOR GENERAL, that is the job...! Nobody in parliament did...?
...each armament flying machine has its pro's and con's...! Even USA had to get some super Hornets due to the delay and problems of production of the F-35...!
THE F-35 is a top luxury flying machine...! Why not just buy fewer of them to cover up the price increase change...! PROBLEM SOLVED...!
As far as I know the "techs specs" of the F-35 are very attractive: including longer combat range...! Then why the problems of production...?!
TECHNICALLY Defense Canada did not make any tech-specs mistake...! Vertical takeoff might be for landing only, or light takeoff...! OF A WAY ALLEGEDLY BETTER FLYING MACHINE...!
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