F-35 Ideas and Inspiration

[jcf]

Countdown to first claim of Photochop has started ...

10-9-8-7 ...

   

[GTX_Admin]

 

[taiidantomcat]

Some sharp images

[GTX_Admin]

Does anyone know if you can get any 1/350 F-35Bs yet.  I could use a couple.

[The Big Gimper]

Does anyone know if you can get any 1/350 F-35Bs yet.  I could use a couple hundred.

 

[GTX_Admin]

Well, that proves there is a market...

[taiidantomcat]

[GTX_Admin]

Oh, I do like the Japanese one. 

[Volkodav]

Oh, I do like the Japanese one.

Same here, it looks right, as would a JMSDF F-35B over a ski jump equiped DDH-22

[GTX_Admin]

Some info on the F-35 Cannon Pod (click on the pretty picture to go to the presentation):

[Scooterman]

LOVE the teeth on the pod! 

[taiidantomcat]

AoA

[kitnut617]

F-35B at Yuma 2013 Airshow.  The show announcer said that a forth F-35B was to be delivered to Yuma in the next week or so.

[kitnut617]

Some detail shots:

[GTX_Admin]

 :)

[GTX_Admin]

From new brochure promoting the F-35 for Canada:

[GTX_Admin]

I was just thinking.  We're leaving someone out.  The USAF, USN AND USMC are all getting F-35s.  But what about the US Army.  We talk about Harriers and A-4s etc for the US Army in the whiff verse, but what about the F-35?? 

[Litvyak]

For the US, Lightning II makes sense (P-38; but that's also why I think if it can't be F-24, it should be F-38). For the UK, Lightning makes sense (EE/BAC Lightning). Canada never had anything called Lightning - so why Lightning II?

[GTX_Admin]

so why Lightning II?

Err...because that's the name of the plane?   I'm sure if Canadians want they can call it something else once its in service.

[elmayerle]

One thing I could see Canada, and some other countries who use probe and drogue refueling, do is add in, for a certain cost and weight penalty, that refueling capability, too.  The layout of the F-35A leaves that area clear for maximum commonality and it would be possible to fit the retractable probe in addition to the flying boom receptacle.

[ChernayaAkula]

Well, at least the Israelis seem to be happy with the F-35:

Times of Israel: Jet’s name is just plane ‘Awesome’ - LINK

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is not only one of the most advanced fighter jets in the world — it now has a Hebrew name, and it’s literally awesome.

On Wednesday, the Israeli Air Force christened the plane Adir, which in modern Hebrew denotes awesomeness, radness and all-around cool (the dictionary definition is a bit more sober).

 

[GTX_Admin]

Some interesting reading on potential exports from Wikipedia:

Belgium - In 2009 Belgium suggested that they might buy some F-35s in the 2020s.[177]
Brazil - The Brazilian Air Force recently has added the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to the list of aircraft under consideration for its relaunched new fighter procurement, called F-X2. The F-35 replaces the F-16, which was in contention for the previous F-X BR program, shelved in 2003 and finally abandoned in 2006.[178][179][180] Lockheed Martin did not offer the F-35 and instead bid the F-16BR in 2008.[181]
Finland - The Finnish Air Force has expressed its interest in the F-35, and other "advanced aircraft", as the replacement for its F-18C Hornets. An eventual purchase decision would be taken around 2015.[182]
Greece - Lockheed Martin is offering the F-35 to Greece's Hellenic Air Force as a replacement for F-4E Peace Icarus 2000 and F-16C/D Block 30 aircraft.[183]
 Republic of China - Taiwan has requested to buy the F-35 from the US. However this has been rejected by the US in fear of a critical response from China. In March 2009 Taiwan again was looking to buy U.S. fifth-generation fighter jets featuring stealth and vertical takeoff capabilities.[184] However, in September 2011, during a visit to the US, the Deputy Minister of National Defense of Taiwan, confirmed that while the country was busy upgrading its current F-16s it was still also looking to procure a next-generation aircraft such as the F-35. This received the usual critical response from China.[185]
 Romania - The Romanian Ministry of Defense has expressed interest in buying the F-35 for its air force sometime after 2020.[186]
 South Korea - South Korea is considering the F-35 amongst several other competitors for the third stage of its F-X program.[187][188] South Korean officials have said that the F-35 would only be available after 2018, but Steve O'Bryan, Lockheed's vice president for F-35 business development has said that Lockheed can deliver the F-35 to South Korea by 2016.[189][dead link] Some South Korean Air Force officers have considered possible missions for the stealth fighter such as surprise raids deep into nuclear armed North Korea.[190] Lockheed has refused to allow South Korean pilots access to the aircraft to test it prior to the selection.[191] However the simulation tests to be used are more extensive that the processes used by other customers such as Israel and Japan.[192]
 Spain - The Spanish Navy ship Juan Carlos I (L61) is adapted to carry JSF and AV-8B Harrier.[193] JSF Program Executive Officer, Air Force Major General Charles Davis, said in 2008 that discussions had been held with Spain, which could eventually lead to the F-35B replacing the Spanish Navy’s EAV-8B Harrier fleet.[194]
 UAE - The United Arab Emirates has requested information about a possible sale of F-35s, however the United States has delayed for months on the response.[195][196]
 Saudi Arabia - The Saudi Defence Ministry is said to be keeping all the options open to buy more fighter jets, including notably the Boeing F-15 Silent Eagle and the Lockheed Martin F-35 JSF (Joint Strike Fighter).[197]

Now whilst some of these are very likely (e.g. Sth Korea), others are less so (e.g. Greece).  Either way, it certainly provides some whiff potential...I for one am very tempted to do a Romanian, UAE or Saudi F-35A and/or a Spanish F-35B.

[GTX_Admin]

Classic from Clave:

[elmayerle]

that suggests the possibility of the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels flying the same aircraft.  That could get most interesting.

[Alvis 3.1]

1/72 F-35A United States Armed Forces
 
Air Demonstration Composite Unit
 
In the 2020s, severe economic issues both at home and abroad caused some extreme measures to be undertaken by US military organizations. Two such units where the US Air Force and the US Navy Blue Angels Aerial Demonstration Squadrons. Since the F-22 had turned out to far too expensive to purchase for the Thunderbirds, the USAF turned to the hot new jet, the F-35, which was already under evaluation by the US Navy as well. However, restrictions on the overall numbers was pushing both groups to very small teams of perhaps 2 or 3 aircraft. In the midst of this dilemma, a nameless accountant at the GAO (General Accounting Office) came up with the perfect solution:




Amalgamate the two teams!

It was said you could hear the screaming from orbit once this idea got out. "It will never work" screamed the brass. "We can't train the same way" said the pilots. "What are THOSE wrenches for?" asked the airframe techs. "How do we do the paperwork?" cried the paperpushers. "I'm not wearing THAT #$@!*&% uniform!!!" said more than one Navy pilot. But, in the end, the teams were forced together, and in the spirit of traditional shotgun weddings, the new team, the "Thunder-Angels" (or "Blue-Birds" if seen from below) was based in Arkansas!





Ok ok, it's the X-35 that I used, but hey, it WAS 2007 when i did this!

Alvis 3.1