I read on another blog that will go unnamed that the F-35 is going through a lift fan re-design.
I've done Google searches backwards and forwards, scoured the Lockheed Martin website and the various military websites and I can find no info on it.
They did have a problem a few years ago but this particular blogger is giving the impression that a lift fan re-design is underway now.
Does anyone have any info on this or is it (as I suspect) bad info?
I know I'm spending too much time reading defense blogs when I immediately know what blog you are not naming. Must step away from computer. (I also can find no source to back up the claim.)
ReplyDeleteIt's a lift-fan shaft re-design, not a whole re-design of the liftfan.
ReplyDeleteHere's the article:
"The Defense Department and Lockheed Martin have agreed to a new design of a component critical to the Marine Corps' variant of the Joint Strike Fighter -- a drive shaft connecting the main engine to the vertical lift fan that will be incorporated into the F-35B if test flights in the coming months validate recent durability concerns.
On June 10, plans for a new drive shaft passed muster with government and contractor officials conducting a critical design review. They gave the green light to proceed with the production of the new component, which if necessary may be incorporated into Joint Strike Fighter aircraft built under the next production batch -- low rate initial production lot 4, according to a Lockheed official.
“Delivery of the first redesigned drive shaft for testing is scheduled for late 2010,” John Kent, a spokesman for Lockheed Martin, said in a written response to questions from InsideDefense.com.
And link:
http://defense.iwpnewsstand.com/insider.asp?issue=06242010
You have to scroll down to June 24, to see the above article, unless you happen to have subscriber access...
Cheers,
AD