F-35 Information

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

Here’s an article from the AF link webpage

/4/2006 - ARLINGTON, Va. (AFPN) – Plans for initiating environmental analyses for proposed locations of the Air Force’s newest fighter, the F-35 Lightning II, were announced by Air Force officials Oct. 4.

The initial Joint Strike Fighter locations include:

– Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., for primary maintenance and flight training;

– Nellis AFB, Nev., and Edwards AFB, Calif., for flight-testing; and

– Hill AFB, Utah, Kadena Air Base, Japan, and Shaw AFB/McEntire Air National Guard Base, S.C., for operational squadrons.

Both stateside operational bases will combine active duty and Reserve component members to maximize flexibility and combat capability.

“Our environmental analyses will facilitate our decision-making process as these locations are evaluated,” said Gen. T. Michael Moseley, Air Force chief of staff.

With this announcement, the Air Force will begin the environmental analysis process, which could take up to two years. Future environmental analyses will study traditional Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve bases along with a selection of active-duty bases.

“The capabilities we provide the joint warfighter are in high demand, yet we have the oldest aircraft inventory in our history,” General Moseley said. “The Air Force will continue to invest in advanced capabilities needed to defeat the emerging technological advances of our adversaries.”

The F-35 Lightning II basing plan will create a synergistic Total Force mix of active, Guard and Reserve units operating the Air Force’s newest fifth generation fighter aircraft. The Total Force mix provides the best possible team to deliver sovereign options for the defense of the United States in the war on terrorism.

The Air Force is expected to start taking delivery of F-35A aircraft in 2009, with planned deliveries continuing beyond 2025.

So does anyone think Hasegawa or Revell will now produce a nice kit of this plane now?

2

Cuda, We can only hope they will. Air Force is getting one of three varients, the F-35A, Marines and British Royal Navy are getting the F-35B and U.S.Navy will get the F-35C which will be used to compliment the Navy’s F/A-18E’s and F’s. All three varients will have the same over all look except for the B varient which will also house a jet turbine on top of the aircraft behind the cockpit for vertical take off and landing. The C varient will be structurally reinforced for carrier operations. It will have a larger, folding wing and larger control surfaces for improved low-speed control, and stronger landing gear for the stresses of carrier landings. The larger wing area provides increased range and payload, with twice the range on internal fuel compared with the F-18C, achieving much the same goal as the much heavier Super Hornet.

Now with this in mind I hope to see models of all three varients and not just one kit that can be made into one of three versions. It’s a wait and see situation, so lets wait and see.

Air Master

3

I’m not sure AirMaster, I for one would prefer a kit with all three models able to be built from it- it would be a lot cheaper than three seperate kits.

4

In some respects it would be nice to get a 3 in one, but the naval variants larger wing etc.would be kind of hard to do properly given the blended wing/body of the F-35. The AF and VTOL versions are similar enough that a conversion is pretty simple, as far as I can tell. I’m (half heartedly) working on that now.

5

With that being said, Hasegawa or Revell or any other company can’t even give us a good F-22 Raptor.

6

Phantom,

Testors had a pretty good 1/32 scale kit of the YF-22, dating back to 1996, I built that kit but they are hard to find now. Check Ebay and see if there is one there.

Air Master

7

Matt and Overkill,

I would really prefer kits of all three varients as pointed out the Navy version should be a seperate kit due to the fact its going to be the the largest of the three.

Air Master

8

My brother likes building the F-22. He says his favorite kit was the Testors one and right now he is getting ready to a 1/72 F-22 from Italeria. He hasn’t said how good it is but he likes it so far.

9

oldmodels.com has one for $45.00

10

It was anounced in late July that Eglin AFB was getting the F-35. They will receive two squadrons of the aircraft and will retire all of their F-15 aircraft. One squadron will be deactivated, which at this time, that squadron hasn’t been anounced.

11

Airmaster,

From what I heard the U.S.A.F. is seriously debating on also buying the F-35B’s to replace the A-10’s because the A-10’s can operate on badly damaged airfields (like Bagram AB Afghanistan right after the Talliban fell and that bese was a real mess {I was there during the spring of 2002) as with the new F-35B’s could do too, the rest of the F-35’s are like the F-16’s (world biggest vacuum cleaners) when operating in forward operating locations they too need a pretty much clean & smooth ramps & runways