US Navy already looking beyond carrier-based F-35
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/us-navy-already-looking-beyond-carrier-based-f-35-403511/
US Navy already looking beyond carrier-based F-35
By: Dan Parsons
Washington DC
More than four years before the aircraft is scheduled to enter service, the US Navy already is considering modifying the Lockheed Martin F-35C to perform future missions beyond 2030.
Navy officials announced on 9 September that an analysis of alternatives (AoA) for the FA-XX aircraft would begin in calendar year 2015 and will consider modifying both the F-35C and the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, as well as building a new aircraft to fulfil the requirement.
In the meantime, the Navy will host a series of technical interchange meetings (TIMs) with contractors for the purposes of trade space refinement as a precursor to the AoA.
The process began in 2012 with the release on a request for information (RFI) on aircraft concepts, technologies and capabilities projected into future combat scenarios in the 2030 timeframe, when the service foresees initial operating capability (IOC). The Navys F-35C is scheduled to reach IOC in 2019, after both the air force and Marine Corps versions have come online.
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