F-35C Lightning II

F-35C Lightning II (Multirole fighter, CATOBAR – Catapult Assisted Take-Off Barrier Arrested Recovery)

Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

First flight: 15 December 2006

Introduction: 2018

Produced: 2006-present

Number built: 14 as of May 2014

Number planned: 327

Program cost: $1.0165 trillion (projected over 55 years)

Unit cost: $132 million (low rate initial production)

Crew: 1

Length: 15.67 m

Wingspan: 13.11 m

Height: 4.48 m

Wing area: 58.3 m²

Empty weight: 15,785 kg

Loaded weight: 25,896 kg

Max. takeoff weight: 30,320 kg

Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney F135-600 afterburning turbofan

Dry thrust: 12,746 kgf (125 kN)

Thrust with afterburner: 19,477 kgf (191 kN)

Internal fuel capacity: 8,382 kg

Performance

Maximum speed: Mach 1.6+ (1,930 km/h) (tested to Mach 1.61)

Cruise speed: 1.2 mach for 9.8 min

Range: 2,220 km on internal fuel

Combat radius: 1,135 km on internal fuel

Wing loading: 526 kg/m²; 745 kg/m² max loaded

Thrust/weight:

With full fuel – 0.87

With 50% fuel – 1.07

Maximum g-load: 9 g

Armament

Guns: 1× General Dynamics 25 mm GAU-22/A 4-barrel Gatling gun, internally mounted with 220 rounds

Hardpoints: 6× external pylons on wings with a capacity of 6,800 kg and 2 internal bays with 2 pylons each for a total weapons payload of 8,100 kg and provisions to carry combinations of: 

Missiles

Air-to-air missiles:

AIM-120 AMRAAM;

AIM-9X Sidewinder;

IRIS-T;

MBDA Meteor (pending further funding)

Air-to-surface missiles:

AGM-88 AARGM;

AGM-158 JASSM;

Brimstone missile / MBDA SPEAR;

Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM);

Storm Shadow missile;

SOM

Anti-ship missiles:

Joint Strike Missile (JSM);

Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM)

Bombs

Mark-84 or Mark-83 or Mark-82 GP bombs

Mark-20 Rockeye II cluster bomb

Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD) capable

Paveway series laser-guided bombs

Small Diameter Bomb (SDB)

Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) series

AGM-154 JSOW

B61 mod 12 nuclear bomb

Avionics

Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems AN/APG-81 AESA radar

Lockheed Martin AAQ-40 E/O Targeting System (EOTS)

Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems AN/AAQ-37 Distributed Aperture System (DAS) missile warning system

BAE Systems AN/ASQ-239 (Barracuda) electronic warfare system

Northrop Grumman AN/ASQ-242 CNI system, which includes:

The Harris Corporation Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL) communication system;

The legacy Link 16 data link;

SINCGARS;

An IFF interrogator and transponder;

HAVE QUICK;

AM, VHF, UHF AM, and UHF FM Radio;

GUARD survival radio;

A radar altimeter;

An instrument landing system;

A TACAN system;

An instrument carrier landing system;

A JPALS;

TADIL-J JVMF/VMF

Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin finalized the eighth F-35 Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP-8) contract for 43 F-35 Lightning II airframes

The U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) has received its first Carrier Variant (CV) F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), the Lockheed Martin announced on 22 December 2014.

(http://www.dmitryshulgin.com/2014/12/31/the-first-harbinger/)

X-47B

X-47B (Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle – UCAV) – 2

Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman

First flight: 4 February 2011

Number built: 2

Program cost: $813 million

Developed from: X-47A Pegasus

Developed into: X-47C UCLASS

General characteristics

Crew: None aboard (semi-autonomous operation)

Length: 11.63 m

Wingspan: 18.92 m extended/9.41 m folded

Height: 3.10 m

Wing area: 88.59 m²

Empty weight: 6,350 kg

Max. takeoff weight: 20,215 kg

Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney F100-220U turbofan

Performance

Maximum speed: Subsonic

Cruise speed: Mach 0.9+ (high subsonic)

Range: 3,889+ km

Service ceiling: 12,190 m

Armament

2 weapon bays, providing for up to 2,000 kg of ordnance

Avionics

Provisions for EO/IR/SAR/ISAR/GMTI/MMTI/ESM

X-47C

Proposed larger version with a payload of 4,500 kg and a wingspan of 52.4 m.

Northrop Grumman intends to develop the prototype X-47B into a battlefield-ready aircraft, the Unmanned Carrier-Launched Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) system, which will enter service by 2019.

The 2015 compromise defense bill imposes restrictions on funding for the Navy’s planned production carrier-launched unmanned aerial vehicle over concerns the platform would lack sufficient stealth, survivability and weapons payload, according to the bill’s language.

(http://www.dmitryshulgin.com/2014/12/06/drone-wings-clipped/)

UNMANNED AIRCRAFT

(http://www.dmitryshulgin.com/2015/01/10/unmanned-aircraft/)

F-35B Lightning II

F-35B Lightning II (Multirole fighter, STOVL – Short Take-off and Vertical Landing)

Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

First flight: 15 December 2006

Introduction: December 2015

Produced: 2006-present

Number built: 42 as of May 2014

Number planned: 353

Program cost: $1.0165 trillion (projected over 55 years)

Unit cost: $142 million (low rate initial production)

Crew: 1

Length: 15.57 m

Wingspan: 10.67 m

Height: 4.36 m

Wing area: 42.7 m²

Empty weight: 14,650 kg

Loaded weight: 22,240 kg

Max. takeoff weight: 27,215 kg

Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney F135-400 afterburning turbofan

Dry thrust: 12,746 kgf (125 kN)

Thrust with afterburner: 19,477 kgf (191 kN)

Internal fuel capacity: 6,045 kg

Performance

Maximum speed: Mach 1.6+ (1,930 km/h) (tested to Mach 1.61)

Cruise speed: 1.2 mach for 9.8 min

Range: 1,670 km on internal fuel

Combat radius: 845 km on internal fuel

Wing loading: 520 kg/m²; 632 kg/m² max loaded

Thrust/weight:

With full fuel – 0.90

With 50% fuel – 1.04

Maximum g-load: 9 g

Armament

Guns: 1× General Dynamics 25 mm GAU-22/A 4-barrel Gatling gun, internally mounted with 220 rounds

Hardpoints: 6× external pylons on wings with a capacity of 6,800 kg and 2 internal bays with 2 pylons each for a total weapons payload of 8,100 kg and provisions to carry combinations of:

Missiles

Air-to-air missiles:

AIM-120 AMRAAM;

AIM-9X Sidewinder;

IRIS-T;

MBDA Meteor (pending further funding)

Air-to-surface missiles:

AGM-88 AARGM;

AGM-158 JASSM;

Brimstone missile / MBDA SPEAR;

Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM);

Storm Shadow missile;

SOM

Anti-ship missiles:

Joint Strike Missile (JSM);

Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM)

Bombs

Mark-84 or Mark-83 or Mark-82 GP bombs

Mark-20 Rockeye II cluster bomb

Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD) capable

Paveway series laser-guided bombs

Small Diameter Bomb (SDB)

Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) series

AGM-154 JSOW

B61 mod 12 nuclear bomb

Avionics

Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems AN/APG-81 AESA radar

Lockheed Martin AAQ-40 E/O Targeting System (EOTS)

Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems AN/AAQ-37 Distributed Aperture System (DAS) missile warning system

BAE Systems AN/ASQ-239 (Barracuda) electronic warfare system

Northrop Grumman AN/ASQ-242 CNI system, which includes:

The Harris Corporation Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL) communication system;

The legacy Link 16 data link;

SINCGARS;

An IFF interrogator and transponder;

HAVE QUICK;

AM, VHF, UHF AM, and UHF FM Radio;

GUARD survival radio;

A radar altimeter;

An instrument landing system;

A TACAN system;

An instrument carrier landing system;

A JPALS;

TADIL-J JVMF/VMF

Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin finalized the eighth F-35 Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP-8) contract for 43 F-35 Lightning II airframes

A UK test team including personnel from BAE Systems, has successfully completed initial aircraft handling trials for ASRAAM (Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile) and Paveway IV weapons on the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II aircraft at Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland, United States.

(http://www.dmitryshulgin.com/2014/12/29/vertical-take-off/)

AH-1Z Viper

AH-1Z Viper (Attack helicopter) – 28

Manufacturer: Bell Helicopter

First flight: 8 December 2000

Introduction: September 2010

Number built: 28

Number planned: 189

Unit cost:

$27 million (upgrading AH-1W)

$31 million (new built)

Developed from: Bell AH-1 Super Cobra

General characteristics

Crew: 2 (pilot, co-pilot/gunner)

Capacity: 3,021 kg

Length: 17.8 m

Rotor diameter: 14.6 m

Height: 4.37 m

Disc area: 168.0 m²

Empty weight: 5,580 kg

Useful load: 2,620 kg

Max. takeoff weight: 8,390 kg

Powerplant: 2× General Electric T700-GE-401C turboshaft, 1,800 shp (1,340 kW) each

Rotor systems: 4 blades on main rotor, 4 blades on tail rotor

Performance

Never exceed speed: 411 km/h in a dive

Cruise speed: 296 km/h

Range: 685 km

Combat radius: 231 km with 1,130 kg payload

Service ceiling: 6,000+ m

Rate of climb: 14.2 m/s

Armament

Guns: 1x 20 mm M197 3-barreled Gatling cannon in the A/A49E-7 turret (750 round ammo capacity)

Hardpoints: Up to 6 pylon stations on stub wing

Rockets: 70 mm Hydra 70 or APKWS II rockets – Mounted in LAU-68C/A (7 shot) or LAU-61D/A (19 shot) launchers

Missiles:

AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles – 1 mounted on each wing tip station (total of 2);

AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles – Up to 16 missiles mounted in four 4-round M272 missile launchers, 2 on each wing

Avionics

Lockheed Martin / Northrop Grumman AN/APG-78 Longbow fire control radar

F/A-18 Super Hornet

F/A-18 Super Hornet (Carrier-based multirole fighter) – 382

Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas, Boeing Defense, Space & Security

First flight: 29 November 1995

Introduction: 1999

Status: In service

Produced: 1995-present

Number built: 500 as of April 2011

Program cost: Total procurement – $48.09 billion (through FY2011)

Unit cost: $60.9 million (2014 flyaway cost)

Developed from: McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet

Variants: Boeing EA-18G Growler

General characteristics

Crew:

F/A-18E – 1;

F/A-18F – 2

Length: 18.31 m

Wingspan: 13.62 m

Height: 4.88 m

Wing area: 46.5 m²

Empty weight: 14,552 kg

Loaded weight: 21,320 kg (in fighter configuration)

Max. takeoff weight: 29,937 kg

Powerplant: 2× General Electric F414-GE-400 turbofans

Dry thrust: 6,353 kgf (62.3 kN) each

Thrust with afterburner: 9,983 kgf (97.9 kN) each

Internal fuel capacity:

F/A-18E – 6,780 kg;

F/A-18F – 6,354 kg

External fuel capacity: 5× 1817 L tanks, totaling 7,381 kg

Performance

Maximum speed: Mach 1.8 (1,915 km/h) at 12,190 m

Range: 2,346 km clean plus two AIM-9s

Combat radius: 722 km for interdiction mission

Ferry range: 3,330 km

Service ceiling: 15,000+ m

Rate of climb: 228 m/s

Wing loading: 459 kg/m²

Thrust/weight: 0.93

Design load factor: 7.6 g

Armament

Guns: 1× 20 mm M61A2 Vulcan nose-mounted Gatling-style cannon, 578 rounds

Hardpoints: 11 total – 2× wingtips, 6× under-wing, and 3× under-fuselage with a capacity of 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

2× AIM-120 AMRAAM

Air-to-surface missiles:

AGM-65 Maverick;

AGM-84H/K Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Range (SLAM-ER);

AGM-88 HARM Anti-radiation missile (ARM);

AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW);

AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM)

Anti-ship missile:

AGM-84 Harpoon;

Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), in the future

Bombs:

JDAM precision-guided munition (PGMs);

Paveway series of laser-guided bombs;

Mark-80 series of unguided iron bombs;

CBU-78 Gator;

CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition;

CBU-97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon;

Mark-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× 1,200 L Sargent Fletcher drop tanks for ferry flight or extended range/loitering time; or

1× 1,200 L tank and 4× 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

MV-22B Osprey

MV-22B Osprey (VTOL/STOL transport) – 119

Manufacturer: Bell Helicopter, Boeing Rotorcraft Systems

First flight: 19 March 1989

Introduction: 13 June 2007

Produced: 1988-present

Total scheduled: 49 to be delivered by 2016

Program cost: $35.6 billion after planned procurement of 408 aircraft

Unit cost: $69.3 million (flyaway cost for FY2012)

Developed from: Bell XV-15

General characteristics

Crew: 4 (pilot, copilot and two flight engineers/crew chiefs)

Capacity:

24 troops (seated), 32 troops (floor loaded); or

9,070 kg of internal cargo, or up to 6,800 kg of external cargo (dual hook)

1× Growler light internally transportable ground vehicle

Length: 17.4 m

Rotor diameter: 11.6 m

Wingspan: 14 m

Width with rotors: 25.8 m

Height: 6.73 m; overall with nacelles vertical (5.5 m; at top of tailfins)

Disc area: 212 m²

Wing area: 28 m²

Empty weight: 15,032 kg

Loaded weight: 21,500 kg

Max. takeoff weight:

Vertical Takeoff Weight: 23,982 kilograms;

Rolling Takeoff Weight: 27,443 kilograms

Powerplant:

2× Rolls-Royce Allison T406/AE 1107C-Liberty turboshafts, 6,150 hp (4,590 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 509 km/h at sea level / 565 km/h at 4,600 m

Cruise speed: 446 km/h at sea level

Stall speed: 204 km/h in airplane mode

Range: 1,627 km

Combat radius: 722 km

Ferry range: 3,590 km with auxiliary internal fuel tanks

Service ceiling: 7,620 m

Rate of climb: 11.8 m/s

Glide ratio: 4.5:1

Disc loading: 102.23 kg/m²

Power/mass: 427 W/kg

Armament

1× 7.62 mm M240 machine gun or 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun on ramp, removable

1× 7.62 mm GAU-17 minigun, belly-mounted, retractable, video remote control in the Remote Guardian System

U.S. Marine Corps variant

The Marine Corps is the lead service in the V-22's development. The Marine Corps variant is an assault transport for troops, equipment and supplies, capable of operating from ships or expeditionary airfields ashore; replacing the Marine Corps' CH-46E and CH-53D fleets. The aircraft has received the latest modifications in the Block C upgrade.

Bell Helicopter announced the successful demonstration of forward-firing capability for the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey. The exercise took place in November 2014 at the United States Army Proving Ground in Yuma, Arizona.

(http://www.dmitryshulgin.com/2014/12/10/the-rising-power-of-the-osprey/)