Sammyboy RSS Feed
10-12-2014, 11:10 AM
An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:
Putin & PRC military all laughing dead. SG buying F-35 sure can not fly under tropical sun!
http://news.xinhuanet.com/photo/2014..._127289325.htm (http://news.xinhuanet.com/photo/2014-12/09/c_127289325.htm)
F-35再曝致命缺陷：夏天无法飞行作战
2014年12月09日 12:14:32 | 责任编辑: 翟子赫 | 来源： 环球网
随着越来越多的F-35隐形战机服役，它的问题也暴露得越来越多。法国宇航防务网站8日披露了F-35最新被发现、同时也是最致命的缺陷：如果燃油超过一定温度，战机将无法运转。报道调侃称，或许 未来美国 的敌人只需要挑选夏季的高温天气发动进攻，美国空军就会“束手无策”。
该报道称，最早是美国空军网站上周末公布的照片泄露了“天机”。这张照片拍摄的是一辆外表重新 喷涂过的燃料 车，其说明写着“F-35战机存在燃料温度阀值，如果燃料温度太高将无法工作”。据称，将燃料车涂为白色或绿色以反射阳 光照射的 热量，是美国空军应对F-35燃料温度问题的临时办法之一。另一种措施是重新规划停车场，保证机场的燃料车能停放在阴凉的地 方。
美国空军第56战斗机联队提交的报告也证明了这个问题的存在。该报告称，“我们正在采取积极措 施，减少战机 因燃料温度过高而导致的空中停车”。尽管美国空军并没有透露会导致战机失灵的“燃料高温阀值” 具体是多少， 但曾提及发现该问题时，机库温度时常达43摄氏度。而这一数值对于长期暴露在烈日下的室外机场 混凝土跑道而 言，并不算高温。
由于多个国家都选择F-35作为下一代战机，该报道认为，或许气候寒冷的挪威和加拿大不会为此发愁，但土耳其、日本、澳大 利亚和以 色列等国的飞行员可能会吃惊地发现，当夏季来临时，他们重金采购的F-35战机将无法飞行。这一致命弱点可能会让美军面临新难题：如果未来对手知道F-35战机无法在夏季作战，敌方只需要等待夏季乃至酷暑再发起进攻就能轻松获胜。至于目前的解决方案 ，该报道 认为也缺乏实用性。“难道美国海军陆战队登陆作战时，想得到空中支援，还得首先需要为F-35修建阴凉的隐蔽所？”
据介绍，尽管F-35性能先进，但从研制期就毛病不断，不久前还因发动机故障被迫停飞。 (来源：环球网 候涛 陈山)
http://www.nbcnews.com/business/busi...t-fuel-n264876 (http://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/air-base-prepares-case-f-35-cant-take-hot-fuel-n264876)
Air Base Prepares in Case F-35 Can't Take Hot Fuel
By Jane Wells
In the long bumpy road toward the F-35 fighter's deployment, nothing may be stranger than the story about hot fuel.
The Air Force reported that crews at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona were wondering if the military's expensive new state-of-the-art jet fighter might not be able to tolerate fuel that exceeds a certain temperature. This is an issue particularly important at Luke, where summer temperatures can exceed 110 degrees.
Clarifying an earlier story posted on CNBC, a spokesman for the base said that in a proactive measure to offset future potential problems, crews decided to repaint some fuel trucks with white reflective paint to deflect heat and keep the fuel cooler inside.
"Every jet has a threshold," said Major Matt Hasson of Luke AFB public affairs, though no one can provide CNBC with an exact temperature for the F-35.
Read More: McCain vows to save A-10 'Warthog'
So far, however, "The jets are performing phenomenally ... there's no problem."
So why repaint the trucks? Maj. Hasson said the base wants to get ahead of any potential issues as its fleet of F-35s expands from a handful to a total of 144.
Luke AFB is one of seven bases testing the F-35 and beginning pilot training. Fuel trucks at Luke sit near runways and do not have any shade from the sun. Repainting trucks for $3,900 each is a relatively cheap solution.
So far, only one truck has been repainted. Whether the new paint solves the problem is still being determined. The idea has also been tested at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California, another area where the heat hits triple digits, but Maj. Hasson said Edwards was doing a general test of the concept. It was not related to the F-35 specifically.
"The long-term fix is to have parking shades for the refuelers."
The new paint job at Luke "ensures the F-35 is able to meet its sortie requirements," Chief Master Sgt. Ralph Resch, fuels manager at the 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron, said in an item posted on the Air Force website. "We are taking proactive measures to mitigate any possible aircraft shutdowns due to high fuel temperatures in the future."
Maj. Hasson said "aircraft shutdowns" does not mean engine shutdowns, but a shutdown in general operations due to high fuel temperatures.
Read More: Lockheed signs $4.7 billion deal for more F-35 fighters
There have been no publicly reported cases of current jet fighters experiencing problems with hot fuel. At the same time, repainting trucks bright white could make them easier targets if based in hostile territory subject to high temperatures, such as deserts. Temperatures in Iraq, for instance, can exceed 120 degrees.
"The long-term fix is to have parking shades for the refuelers," Resch said. The Air Force is also testing the idea of maintaining fuel trucks' traditional green color and instead covering them with a heat-reflective coating.
Lockheed Martin last month signed a $4.7 billion deal for 29 more of the aircraft for the United States and five close allies. It's anticipated that eventually 200 of the aircraft will be in operation in eight countries.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story cited Air Force sources who indicated that the F-35 can't tolerate fuel that exceeds a certain temperature. The Air Force base public affairs office told CNBC at that time that crews testing the state-of-the-art jet fighter discovered the problem and were trying to solve it. The Air Force subsequently said that its efforts, which include repainting fuel vehicles, were meant to be proactive in case of future problems rather than designed to fix existing issues.
First published December 9 2014, 12:02 PM
http://www.defense-aerospace.com/art...ng-shades.html (http://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/release/159421/f_35-needs-white-fuel-trucks,-parking-shades.html)
Fuel Temperature Can Shut Down F-35
Source: Defense-Aerospace.com; published Dec 08, 2014)
By Giovanni de Briganti
The US Air Force has had to paint its fuel trucks white to keep the fuel inside from overheating as the F-35 has a fuel temperature threshold and cannot function properly if the fuel temperature is too high. (USAF photo)
PÄRIS --- Again, another truly remarkable facet of the F-35 program is discovered purely by chance, without ever having been mentioned in any of the innumerable studies and reports on the program that have been published over the past 12 years.
Thanks to a story on the curious subject of repainting fuel trucks posted over the week-end on the US Air Force website, and reproduced below, the world has discovered that “the F-35 has a fuel temperature threshold, and may not function properly if the fuel temperature is too high.”
And if that was not enough, the US Air Force feels this is a problem of sufficient concern to look for ways to “mitigate any possible aircraft shutdowns due to high fuel temperatures in the future.”
While this may not pose operational problems to Norway or possibly Canada, other future operators ranging from Turkey to Japan to Australia, and from Israel to Italy, may be surprised to find that the F-35s they plan to buy will not be able to fly when temperatures exceed values that are routine in the summer in their part of the world.
While the USAF story does not say what the “fuel temperature threshold” is, mentioning 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43°C) shows it is a very low one, especially as tarmac or concrete used on airfield aprons reflect heat and multiply the temperature of any vehicle on the ground.
This new vulnerability of the F-35 is likely to give a new meaning to the expression “summer offensive,” as future aggressors will no doubt take the precaution of waiting for summer (or even a heatwave) to attack, knowing their opponents’ F-35s will be unable to take off and oppose them.
The two solutions devised to work around this issue are particularly inspired.
The short-term solution is to repaint F-35 fuel trucks at a cost of $3,900 each (and a week’s work), while the long-term fix is particularly brilliant: build parking shades so the fuel tanks can park in the shade.
These solutions will prove particularly useful to the US Marine Corps, whose rationale for buying the F-35B STOVL variant is the ability to deploy them on beach-heads shortly after the first landing wave. Will Sea Bees now have to plan on going ashore to build parking shades for the fuel trucks before the F-35s can land and troops can get close air support?
The existence of a temperature threshold also raises many other technical questions, the main one being how the F-35’s fuel tanks can function effectively as “heat sinks” (another design innovation) if they are already so sensible to heat that the Air Force fears “possible aircraft shutdowns due to high fuel temperatures?”
Clearly, in addition to runaway costs, an inability to reach contractual performance requirements and recurring delays, the F-35 incorporates many design innovations that, as the world is gradually discover, will end up doing far more damage than the program’s original sin of concurrency between development and acquisition, which was famously but belatedly described as “acquisition malpractice” by a senior Pentagon official.
(ends)
Luke AFB Changes Refueling Truck Color, Mitigates F-35 Shutdowns
(Source: US Air Force 56th Fighter Wing; issued Dec 6, 2014)
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --- The 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron recently added a new fuel truck to its fleet designed to improve mission effectiveness and safety on the flightline.
However, it’s not really a new fuel truck, but an old fuel truck with its tank painted white. What LRS Airmen once referred to as "Big Green," the “new” truck with a white fuel tank has been a little difficult for some to get used to; however, the change has a better purpose then just being aesthetically pleasing.
"We painted the refuelers white to reduce the temperature of fuel being delivered to the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter," said Senior Airman Jacob Hartman, a 56th LRS fuels distribution operator. "The F-35 has a fuel temperature threshold and may not function properly if the fuel temperature is too high, so after collaborating with other bases and receiving waiver approval from (the Air Education Training Command), we painted the tanks white."
With the change, the 56th LRS hopes for no delay in aircraft take-offs, all while maintaining mission sorties and ensuring pilots meet training requirements.
"It ensures the F-35 is able to meet its sortie requirements," said Chief Master Sgt. Ralph Resch, the 56th LRS fuels manager. "We are taking proactive measures to mitigate any possible aircraft shutdowns due to high fuel temperatures in the future."
The squadron adopted the idea after it was first implemented at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
In the summer months at Luke AFB, temperatures can reach beyond 110 degrees. Painting the tanks white now will help prevent fuel stored in the tanks from over-heating.
"This is the short-term goal to cool the fuel for the F-35; however, the long-term fix is to have parking shades for the refuelers," Resch said.
The white paint is special because it is a solar polyurethane enamel that reflects the heat of the sun's rays. Interestingly, after dropping off the first truck to be painted, the 56th LRS learned it is not the color that reflects the heat.
"The painting process is a two-part process, and the second part is the reflective process," said Master Sgt. Joseph Maurin, the 56th LRS fuels distribution NCO in charge. "The painter said it did not have to be a white color, so we are going to send one of the four vehicles to get painted green, if possible. We will then compare temperatures between the green and white trucks."
Luke AFBs refuelers are also deployable and a white fuel truck would stick out like a sore thumb down range. The 56th LRS is hopeful that the tanks can be painted green and still keep fuel temperatures down.
The 56th LRS has been approved to paint four trucks and it takes about a week to complete, at a cost of $3,900 per truck.
http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the...-sa-1668120726 (http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the-f-35-cant-run-on-warm-gas-from-a-fuel-truck-that-sa-1668120726)
The F-35 Can't Run On Warm Gas From A Fuel Truck That Sat In The Sun
23
TylerRogoway
Tyler Rogoway
ProfileFollow
Tyler Rogoway
Filed to: F-35 Saga Yesterday 12:54am
The F-35 Can't Run On Warm Gas From A Fuel Truck That Sat In The Sun
The F-35 program continues to work through a litany of problems, but this one is almost laughable. According to the USAF, the troubled fighter cannot use gas from standard green colored USAF fuel trucks if it has been sitting in the sun. Considering that these jets will most likely find themselves operating in the desert or in somewhere in the scorching Pacific, this is a big problem.
We Finally Know Why An F-35 Burned On The Runway
We are finally getting information as to what caused the F-35A engine fire that has left the entire … Read more
Sadly, the answer for the F-35's fuel finicky conundrum, one of many heat related issues with the jets since their testing began, is being addressed outside of the F-35 aircraft itself, in the form of repainting standard USAF fuel trucks with bright white solar reflective paint.
Clearly it is not tactical in any way to be driving a giant white potential fuel-bomb around a battle zone. This is especially true considering that the F-35B variant is supposed to operate 'forward' from austere fields. Still, the solar reflective paint job, that costs around four grand for each truck, seems to be less expensive than fixing the issue on the jet itself, as there is no word of that happening.
7 Things The Marines Have To Do To Make The F-35B Worth The Huge Cost
After years of passing more conventional capabilities by, I think it is time for the Marine Corps,… Read more
The F-35 Can't Run On Warm Gas From A Fuel Truck That Sat In The Sun
Senior Airman Jacob Hartman, of the 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron (LRS), a fuels distribution operator at Luke AFB, describes the situation:
"We painted the refuelers white to reduce the temperature of fuel being delivered to the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter... The F-35 has a fuel temperature threshold and may not function properly if the fuel temperature is too high, so after collaborating with other bases and receiving waiver approval from (the Air Education Training Command), we painted the tanks white."
Chief Master Sgt. Ralph Resch, the 56th LRS fuels manager added:
"We are taking proactive measures to mitigate any possible aircraft shutdowns due to high fuel temperatures in the future. It ensures the F-35 is able to meet its sortie requirements... This is the short-term goal to cool the fuel for the F-35; however, the long-term fix is to have parking shades for the refuelers."
Luke AFB is not the first base to run into this issue, with Edwards AFB discovering the problem and initiating the fuel truck repaint solution some time ago. The USAF has some hope that the reflective paint process can be applied to a similar green color as the standard issue refueling trucks used by the USAF. A test will soon occur with a white truck and a green truck, with both being painted with a special solar reflective coating, to see if the green truck plus the reflective coating will keep the F-35's life-force cool enough under the sun for the jet not to have to shut down immediately after start-up due to heating issues.
What is most telling about this strange story is that the USAF thinks a long-term solution to the F-35's warm fuel problem is to park their fuel trucks under purpose-built shade structures. Yet isn't fixing the aircraft's low fuel temperature 'threshold' issue itself more of an honest, robust and logical solution? Like so many things F-35, maybe the operating margins are just too thin for an affordable aircraft-based fix to be plausible.
The F-35 channels its strong thermal loads, accumulated by the powerful avionics and sub-systems on-board, as well as the engine, into its fuel. So really, the fuel works as a giant heat sink. If the fuel is already warm upon start-up, there is less capacity to exchange the heat from their aircraft's simmering systems. Therefore the jet must shut down or risk overheating. A clever design that most likely lightens up the jet and leaves extra room for weapons and fuel, but one that may have very little room for adaptation.
The simple fact that the F-35 is one finicky eater even after many years of development and costly design changes, along with the reality that bright white fuel trucks may become standard issue on F-35 flightlines, are just more sorry reminders of how this supposedly super-capable fighter will come with a long list of limitations and operational caveats, along with its one and a half trillion dollar bill.
Phew! The F-35B Can Operate From Wet Runways & In Crosswinds
The F-35B recently completed wet runway and crosswind landing tests, which is good, considering… Read more
The F-35 Can't Run On Warm Gas From A Fuel Truck That Sat In The Sun
Source: USAF
Tyler Rogoway is a defense journalist and photographer who maintains the website Foxtrot Alpha for Jalopnik.com You can reach Tyler with story ideas or direct comments regarding this or any other defense topic via the email address [email protected]
23 Reply 649Discuss
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?195505-F-35-pse-LAUGH-US-135-million-junk-can-not-fly-hot&goto=newpost).
Putin & PRC military all laughing dead. SG buying F-35 sure can not fly under tropical sun!
http://news.xinhuanet.com/photo/2014..._127289325.htm (http://news.xinhuanet.com/photo/2014-12/09/c_127289325.htm)
F-35再曝致命缺陷：夏天无法飞行作战
2014年12月09日 12:14:32 | 责任编辑: 翟子赫 | 来源： 环球网
随着越来越多的F-35隐形战机服役，它的问题也暴露得越来越多。法国宇航防务网站8日披露了F-35最新被发现、同时也是最致命的缺陷：如果燃油超过一定温度，战机将无法运转。报道调侃称，或许 未来美国 的敌人只需要挑选夏季的高温天气发动进攻，美国空军就会“束手无策”。
该报道称，最早是美国空军网站上周末公布的照片泄露了“天机”。这张照片拍摄的是一辆外表重新 喷涂过的燃料 车，其说明写着“F-35战机存在燃料温度阀值，如果燃料温度太高将无法工作”。据称，将燃料车涂为白色或绿色以反射阳 光照射的 热量，是美国空军应对F-35燃料温度问题的临时办法之一。另一种措施是重新规划停车场，保证机场的燃料车能停放在阴凉的地 方。
美国空军第56战斗机联队提交的报告也证明了这个问题的存在。该报告称，“我们正在采取积极措 施，减少战机 因燃料温度过高而导致的空中停车”。尽管美国空军并没有透露会导致战机失灵的“燃料高温阀值” 具体是多少， 但曾提及发现该问题时，机库温度时常达43摄氏度。而这一数值对于长期暴露在烈日下的室外机场 混凝土跑道而 言，并不算高温。
由于多个国家都选择F-35作为下一代战机，该报道认为，或许气候寒冷的挪威和加拿大不会为此发愁，但土耳其、日本、澳大 利亚和以 色列等国的飞行员可能会吃惊地发现，当夏季来临时，他们重金采购的F-35战机将无法飞行。这一致命弱点可能会让美军面临新难题：如果未来对手知道F-35战机无法在夏季作战，敌方只需要等待夏季乃至酷暑再发起进攻就能轻松获胜。至于目前的解决方案 ，该报道 认为也缺乏实用性。“难道美国海军陆战队登陆作战时，想得到空中支援，还得首先需要为F-35修建阴凉的隐蔽所？”
据介绍，尽管F-35性能先进，但从研制期就毛病不断，不久前还因发动机故障被迫停飞。 (来源：环球网 候涛 陈山)
http://www.nbcnews.com/business/busi...t-fuel-n264876 (http://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/air-base-prepares-case-f-35-cant-take-hot-fuel-n264876)
Air Base Prepares in Case F-35 Can't Take Hot Fuel
By Jane Wells
In the long bumpy road toward the F-35 fighter's deployment, nothing may be stranger than the story about hot fuel.
The Air Force reported that crews at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona were wondering if the military's expensive new state-of-the-art jet fighter might not be able to tolerate fuel that exceeds a certain temperature. This is an issue particularly important at Luke, where summer temperatures can exceed 110 degrees.
Clarifying an earlier story posted on CNBC, a spokesman for the base said that in a proactive measure to offset future potential problems, crews decided to repaint some fuel trucks with white reflective paint to deflect heat and keep the fuel cooler inside.
"Every jet has a threshold," said Major Matt Hasson of Luke AFB public affairs, though no one can provide CNBC with an exact temperature for the F-35.
Read More: McCain vows to save A-10 'Warthog'
So far, however, "The jets are performing phenomenally ... there's no problem."
So why repaint the trucks? Maj. Hasson said the base wants to get ahead of any potential issues as its fleet of F-35s expands from a handful to a total of 144.
Luke AFB is one of seven bases testing the F-35 and beginning pilot training. Fuel trucks at Luke sit near runways and do not have any shade from the sun. Repainting trucks for $3,900 each is a relatively cheap solution.
So far, only one truck has been repainted. Whether the new paint solves the problem is still being determined. The idea has also been tested at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California, another area where the heat hits triple digits, but Maj. Hasson said Edwards was doing a general test of the concept. It was not related to the F-35 specifically.
"The long-term fix is to have parking shades for the refuelers."
The new paint job at Luke "ensures the F-35 is able to meet its sortie requirements," Chief Master Sgt. Ralph Resch, fuels manager at the 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron, said in an item posted on the Air Force website. "We are taking proactive measures to mitigate any possible aircraft shutdowns due to high fuel temperatures in the future."
Maj. Hasson said "aircraft shutdowns" does not mean engine shutdowns, but a shutdown in general operations due to high fuel temperatures.
Read More: Lockheed signs $4.7 billion deal for more F-35 fighters
There have been no publicly reported cases of current jet fighters experiencing problems with hot fuel. At the same time, repainting trucks bright white could make them easier targets if based in hostile territory subject to high temperatures, such as deserts. Temperatures in Iraq, for instance, can exceed 120 degrees.
"The long-term fix is to have parking shades for the refuelers," Resch said. The Air Force is also testing the idea of maintaining fuel trucks' traditional green color and instead covering them with a heat-reflective coating.
Lockheed Martin last month signed a $4.7 billion deal for 29 more of the aircraft for the United States and five close allies. It's anticipated that eventually 200 of the aircraft will be in operation in eight countries.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story cited Air Force sources who indicated that the F-35 can't tolerate fuel that exceeds a certain temperature. The Air Force base public affairs office told CNBC at that time that crews testing the state-of-the-art jet fighter discovered the problem and were trying to solve it. The Air Force subsequently said that its efforts, which include repainting fuel vehicles, were meant to be proactive in case of future problems rather than designed to fix existing issues.
First published December 9 2014, 12:02 PM
http://www.defense-aerospace.com/art...ng-shades.html (http://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/release/159421/f_35-needs-white-fuel-trucks,-parking-shades.html)
Fuel Temperature Can Shut Down F-35
Source: Defense-Aerospace.com; published Dec 08, 2014)
By Giovanni de Briganti
The US Air Force has had to paint its fuel trucks white to keep the fuel inside from overheating as the F-35 has a fuel temperature threshold and cannot function properly if the fuel temperature is too high. (USAF photo)
PÄRIS --- Again, another truly remarkable facet of the F-35 program is discovered purely by chance, without ever having been mentioned in any of the innumerable studies and reports on the program that have been published over the past 12 years.
Thanks to a story on the curious subject of repainting fuel trucks posted over the week-end on the US Air Force website, and reproduced below, the world has discovered that “the F-35 has a fuel temperature threshold, and may not function properly if the fuel temperature is too high.”
And if that was not enough, the US Air Force feels this is a problem of sufficient concern to look for ways to “mitigate any possible aircraft shutdowns due to high fuel temperatures in the future.”
While this may not pose operational problems to Norway or possibly Canada, other future operators ranging from Turkey to Japan to Australia, and from Israel to Italy, may be surprised to find that the F-35s they plan to buy will not be able to fly when temperatures exceed values that are routine in the summer in their part of the world.
While the USAF story does not say what the “fuel temperature threshold” is, mentioning 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43°C) shows it is a very low one, especially as tarmac or concrete used on airfield aprons reflect heat and multiply the temperature of any vehicle on the ground.
This new vulnerability of the F-35 is likely to give a new meaning to the expression “summer offensive,” as future aggressors will no doubt take the precaution of waiting for summer (or even a heatwave) to attack, knowing their opponents’ F-35s will be unable to take off and oppose them.
The two solutions devised to work around this issue are particularly inspired.
The short-term solution is to repaint F-35 fuel trucks at a cost of $3,900 each (and a week’s work), while the long-term fix is particularly brilliant: build parking shades so the fuel tanks can park in the shade.
These solutions will prove particularly useful to the US Marine Corps, whose rationale for buying the F-35B STOVL variant is the ability to deploy them on beach-heads shortly after the first landing wave. Will Sea Bees now have to plan on going ashore to build parking shades for the fuel trucks before the F-35s can land and troops can get close air support?
The existence of a temperature threshold also raises many other technical questions, the main one being how the F-35’s fuel tanks can function effectively as “heat sinks” (another design innovation) if they are already so sensible to heat that the Air Force fears “possible aircraft shutdowns due to high fuel temperatures?”
Clearly, in addition to runaway costs, an inability to reach contractual performance requirements and recurring delays, the F-35 incorporates many design innovations that, as the world is gradually discover, will end up doing far more damage than the program’s original sin of concurrency between development and acquisition, which was famously but belatedly described as “acquisition malpractice” by a senior Pentagon official.
(ends)
Luke AFB Changes Refueling Truck Color, Mitigates F-35 Shutdowns
(Source: US Air Force 56th Fighter Wing; issued Dec 6, 2014)
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --- The 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron recently added a new fuel truck to its fleet designed to improve mission effectiveness and safety on the flightline.
However, it’s not really a new fuel truck, but an old fuel truck with its tank painted white. What LRS Airmen once referred to as "Big Green," the “new” truck with a white fuel tank has been a little difficult for some to get used to; however, the change has a better purpose then just being aesthetically pleasing.
"We painted the refuelers white to reduce the temperature of fuel being delivered to the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter," said Senior Airman Jacob Hartman, a 56th LRS fuels distribution operator. "The F-35 has a fuel temperature threshold and may not function properly if the fuel temperature is too high, so after collaborating with other bases and receiving waiver approval from (the Air Education Training Command), we painted the tanks white."
With the change, the 56th LRS hopes for no delay in aircraft take-offs, all while maintaining mission sorties and ensuring pilots meet training requirements.
"It ensures the F-35 is able to meet its sortie requirements," said Chief Master Sgt. Ralph Resch, the 56th LRS fuels manager. "We are taking proactive measures to mitigate any possible aircraft shutdowns due to high fuel temperatures in the future."
The squadron adopted the idea after it was first implemented at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
In the summer months at Luke AFB, temperatures can reach beyond 110 degrees. Painting the tanks white now will help prevent fuel stored in the tanks from over-heating.
"This is the short-term goal to cool the fuel for the F-35; however, the long-term fix is to have parking shades for the refuelers," Resch said.
The white paint is special because it is a solar polyurethane enamel that reflects the heat of the sun's rays. Interestingly, after dropping off the first truck to be painted, the 56th LRS learned it is not the color that reflects the heat.
"The painting process is a two-part process, and the second part is the reflective process," said Master Sgt. Joseph Maurin, the 56th LRS fuels distribution NCO in charge. "The painter said it did not have to be a white color, so we are going to send one of the four vehicles to get painted green, if possible. We will then compare temperatures between the green and white trucks."
Luke AFBs refuelers are also deployable and a white fuel truck would stick out like a sore thumb down range. The 56th LRS is hopeful that the tanks can be painted green and still keep fuel temperatures down.
The 56th LRS has been approved to paint four trucks and it takes about a week to complete, at a cost of $3,900 per truck.
http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the...-sa-1668120726 (http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the-f-35-cant-run-on-warm-gas-from-a-fuel-truck-that-sa-1668120726)
The F-35 Can't Run On Warm Gas From A Fuel Truck That Sat In The Sun
23
TylerRogoway
Tyler Rogoway
ProfileFollow
Tyler Rogoway
Filed to: F-35 Saga Yesterday 12:54am
The F-35 Can't Run On Warm Gas From A Fuel Truck That Sat In The Sun
The F-35 program continues to work through a litany of problems, but this one is almost laughable. According to the USAF, the troubled fighter cannot use gas from standard green colored USAF fuel trucks if it has been sitting in the sun. Considering that these jets will most likely find themselves operating in the desert or in somewhere in the scorching Pacific, this is a big problem.
We Finally Know Why An F-35 Burned On The Runway
We are finally getting information as to what caused the F-35A engine fire that has left the entire … Read more
Sadly, the answer for the F-35's fuel finicky conundrum, one of many heat related issues with the jets since their testing began, is being addressed outside of the F-35 aircraft itself, in the form of repainting standard USAF fuel trucks with bright white solar reflective paint.
Clearly it is not tactical in any way to be driving a giant white potential fuel-bomb around a battle zone. This is especially true considering that the F-35B variant is supposed to operate 'forward' from austere fields. Still, the solar reflective paint job, that costs around four grand for each truck, seems to be less expensive than fixing the issue on the jet itself, as there is no word of that happening.
7 Things The Marines Have To Do To Make The F-35B Worth The Huge Cost
After years of passing more conventional capabilities by, I think it is time for the Marine Corps,… Read more
The F-35 Can't Run On Warm Gas From A Fuel Truck That Sat In The Sun
Senior Airman Jacob Hartman, of the 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron (LRS), a fuels distribution operator at Luke AFB, describes the situation:
"We painted the refuelers white to reduce the temperature of fuel being delivered to the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter... The F-35 has a fuel temperature threshold and may not function properly if the fuel temperature is too high, so after collaborating with other bases and receiving waiver approval from (the Air Education Training Command), we painted the tanks white."
Chief Master Sgt. Ralph Resch, the 56th LRS fuels manager added:
"We are taking proactive measures to mitigate any possible aircraft shutdowns due to high fuel temperatures in the future. It ensures the F-35 is able to meet its sortie requirements... This is the short-term goal to cool the fuel for the F-35; however, the long-term fix is to have parking shades for the refuelers."
Luke AFB is not the first base to run into this issue, with Edwards AFB discovering the problem and initiating the fuel truck repaint solution some time ago. The USAF has some hope that the reflective paint process can be applied to a similar green color as the standard issue refueling trucks used by the USAF. A test will soon occur with a white truck and a green truck, with both being painted with a special solar reflective coating, to see if the green truck plus the reflective coating will keep the F-35's life-force cool enough under the sun for the jet not to have to shut down immediately after start-up due to heating issues.
What is most telling about this strange story is that the USAF thinks a long-term solution to the F-35's warm fuel problem is to park their fuel trucks under purpose-built shade structures. Yet isn't fixing the aircraft's low fuel temperature 'threshold' issue itself more of an honest, robust and logical solution? Like so many things F-35, maybe the operating margins are just too thin for an affordable aircraft-based fix to be plausible.
The F-35 channels its strong thermal loads, accumulated by the powerful avionics and sub-systems on-board, as well as the engine, into its fuel. So really, the fuel works as a giant heat sink. If the fuel is already warm upon start-up, there is less capacity to exchange the heat from their aircraft's simmering systems. Therefore the jet must shut down or risk overheating. A clever design that most likely lightens up the jet and leaves extra room for weapons and fuel, but one that may have very little room for adaptation.
The simple fact that the F-35 is one finicky eater even after many years of development and costly design changes, along with the reality that bright white fuel trucks may become standard issue on F-35 flightlines, are just more sorry reminders of how this supposedly super-capable fighter will come with a long list of limitations and operational caveats, along with its one and a half trillion dollar bill.
Phew! The F-35B Can Operate From Wet Runways & In Crosswinds
The F-35B recently completed wet runway and crosswind landing tests, which is good, considering… Read more
The F-35 Can't Run On Warm Gas From A Fuel Truck That Sat In The Sun
Source: USAF
Tyler Rogoway is a defense journalist and photographer who maintains the website Foxtrot Alpha for Jalopnik.com You can reach Tyler with story ideas or direct comments regarding this or any other defense topic via the email address [email protected]
23 Reply 649Discuss
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?195505-F-35-pse-LAUGH-US-135-million-junk-can-not-fly-hot&goto=newpost).