Doug "Woody" and Erin Beal wrote:
On 5/22/04 12:00 PM, in article
et, "Thomas Schoene"
wrote:


No, I'm not denying that it's overweight. However, I'm questioning
whether the weight issue is as bad as presented. Planes are
*always* overweight at this point in the design process. I think
the reports tend to confuse the current design weight with the final
target weight. If it's 3000 pounds over now, that does not mean it
will be 3000 pounds over at IOC.


I get snippets from folks in the program quite often. It won't
necessarily be 3000lbs over at IOC. That's what they're working on
right now... Trying to trim the excess.

In fact, the 3000 lbs is mostly due to the lift fan machinery on the
B-model. A and C models aren't suffering as much. I think I may have
mis-spoken on that point earlier.

Apropos of this:

http://www.pratt-whitney.com/pr_052404.asp

"WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., May 24, 2004 -- For the first time, Pratt & Whitney'
s (P&W) Short Take-Off & Vertical Landing (STOVL) Propulsion System for the
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has demonstrated 39,700 pounds of thrust, the
level required for the unique combat aircraft to hover. At the same time,
weight reduction initiatives have brought the F135 engine system below its
contracted target weight."
....
The latest review of the F135 STOVL System revealed that the
achieved-to-date (ATD) weight is below the contracted weight target value.
An on-going weight management plan will result in a STOVL weight at 3% to 6%
below the contracted target. The weight achievements are critical for F-35
performance. The F135 STOVL team continues to investigate additional weight
reduction and performance enhancement opportunities with Lockheed Martin,
Rolls-Royce and the Joint Strike Fighter Program Office."

If I read this correctly, they're under the weight they expected to be at by
this stage of the process, and are projecting that they will be well under
the contracted weight when they go to production. Granted, that's PWs
version, but it certianly seems promising.

--
Tom Schoene Replace "invalid" with "net" to e-mail
"Our country, right or wrong. When right, to be kept right, when
wrong to be put right." - Senator Carl Schurz, 1872