Sobre los precios. Quería aclarar que es un tema complejo, porque como bien habéis dicho, aunque sea el precio de fábrica normalmente viene emparejado a varios contratos. Se incluyen materiales y herramientas, motor, el lote en sí... Esos $80 millones además son los publicitados por LM, aunque en realidad él mismo aclara que es una UCA ("Undefined Contract Action"), es decir, que se están comenzando a financiar esos lotes pero los términos del contrato todavía no están definidos. Es decir, ellos prometen esas cifras, pero cuando se firmen los contratos correspondientes ellos pueden aducir que incluyen cosas con las que no contaban y el precio final ser otro... o no. En fin, el tiempo dirá:
https://www.f35.com/news/detail/f-35-jo ... r-more-thaPor cierto, LM habla de sus precios, que no incluyen motor:
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This Undefinitized Contract Action (UCA) enables F-35 production to continue efficiently while the government and industry teams reach contract agreement. We are committed to reducing costs, and confident the final negotiated LRIP 12 aircraft unit prices will be less than LRIP 11, and enable us to deliver on our goal of an $80 million F-35A by 2020.
In parallel, a separate Lot 12 propulsion UCA between the JPO and Pratt & Whitney is currently being negotiated.
Y ya que estamos vamos con el contrato más reciente (23 de agosto), en este caso para repuestos:
https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contra ... /1943009//...
Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded $2,426,326,544 for modification P00002 to previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract N00019-19-D-0015 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter initial spares for the Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, non-U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) participants, and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Spares to be procured include global spares packages, base spares packages, deployment spares packages, afloat spares packages and associated consumables. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (24.4%); El Segundo, California (9.1%); Owego, New York (8.6%); Samlesbury, United Kingdom (7.2%); Cheltenham, United Kingdom (6.2%); Nashua, New Hampshire (5.8%); Torrance, California (5.5%); Orlando, Florida (4.9%); Cedar Rapids, Iowa (3.7%); San Diego, California (3.6%); Phoenix, Arizona (3.1%); Melbourne, Florida (3.1%); Irvine, California (2.5%); North Amityville, New York (2.4%); Windsor Locks, Connecticut (2.2%); Baltimore, Maryland (2.2%); Papendrect, The Netherlands (1.9%); Rolling Meadows, Illinois (1.8%); and Alpharetta, Georgia (1.8%). All orders are expected to be placed no later than December 2020. No funds will be obligated at time of award, funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
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Respecto al motor de nueva generación que comentábais algo atrás. Otro programa actual se estaría desenvolviendo bajo el acrónimo de ATTAM ("Advanced Turbine Technologies for Affordable Mission-Capability"), pero la fase I se espera para 2026. Hay varios contratos con varias empresas ya en marcha:
https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contra ... e/1647166/...
United Technologies Corp. Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Connecticut, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $250,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Advanced Turbine Technologies for Affordable Mission-Capability (ATTAM) Phase I. This contract provides for the ATTAM Phase I program to develop, demonstrate, and transition advanced turbine propulsion, power and thermal technologies that provides improvement in affordable mission capability. Work will be performed in East Hartford, Connecticut, and is expected to be complete by September 2026. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and 54 offers were received. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $25,000 are being obligated on the first task order at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-18-D-2062).
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Aerojet Rocketdyne, Canoga Park, California, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $20,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Advanced Turbine Technologies for Affordable Mission-Capability (ATTAM) Phase I. This contract provides for the ATTAM Phase I program to develop, demonstrate, and transition advanced turbine propulsion, power and thermal technologies that provides improvement in affordable mission capability. Work will be performed in Canoga Park, California, and is expected to be completed by September 2026. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and 54 offers were received. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $25,000 are being obligated on the first task order at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-18-D-2062).
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https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contra ... e/1659712/...
Rolls-Royce North American Technologies-LibertyWorks, Indianapolis, Indiana, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $100,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract (FA8650-19-D-2063) for Advanced Turbine Technologies for Affordable Mission-Capability (ATTAM) Phase I. The mission of the ATTAM Phase I program is to develop, demonstrate, and transition advanced turbine propulsion, power and thermal technologies that provides improvement in affordable mission capability. This approach extends to a range of legacy, emerging, and future military propulsion, power and thermal technology needs in multiple applications. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is expected to be completed by October 2026. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and 54 offers were received. No specific funds are obligated on the basic IDIQ, although in conjunction with the basic IDIQ award, the first task order (FA8650-19-F-2078) is incrementally funded with fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $17,000 at time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.
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https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contra ... e/1658771/...
General Electric Aviation, Cincinnati, Ohio, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $250,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract (FA8650-19-D-2057) for Advanced Turbine Technologies for Affordable Mission-Capability (ATTAM) Phase I. The mission of the ATTAM Phase I program is to develop, demonstrate, and transition advanced turbine propulsion, power and thermal technologies that provides improvement in affordable mission capability. This approach extends to a range of legacy, emerging, and future military propulsion, power and thermal technology needs in multiple applications. Work will be performed in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by October 2026. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and 54 offers were received. No specific funds are obligated on the basic IDIQ, although in conjunction with the basic IDIQ award, the first task order (FA8650-19-F-2087) is incrementally funded with fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $25,000 at time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.
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https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contra ... e/1755709/...
Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $19,900,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Advanced Turbine Technologies for Affordable Mission-Capability (ATTAM) Phase I. The mission of the ATTAM Phase I program is to develop, demonstrate and transition advanced turbine propulsion power and thermal technologies that provides improvement in affordable mission capability. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 12, 2027. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and 54 offers were received. The first task order will be initially funded with fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) funds in the amount of $45,000; and fiscal 2019 RDT&E funds in the amount of $315,000 at the time award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-19-D-2059).
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Creo que Honeywell también se ha llevado de $150 millones, pero no logro encontrar el contrato original. En todo caso, la fecha es 2026 o incluso algunos, como el de LM, 2027.
Otros programas para buscar nuevas tecnologías para el motor del F-35 fueron la IHPTET ("Integrated High Performance Turbine Engine Technology ") y después la VAATE ("Versatile Affordable Advanced Turbine Engines"). Por aquí muy bien explicado:
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/artic ... on-429129/