Detailed Factsheet with Citations
Environment
Sound issues will be considerable. The Eglin Airforce Base Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) shows that the F-35 will be 27 dB louder at low elevations, and louder at 2000 ft. than the F-16 is at take-off.
While the Airforce representative tried to diminish these findings by saying that the plane would not be going at the speed represented on the chart at lower levels, he did not refute that the plane will be louder or explain the methodology of how the measurements were actually made, and the chart given showed that it would be 18 dB louder than the F-16 even at 20,000 feet.
The 74 decibels listed for that elevation is higher than the 70 dB maximum that the EPA recommends to avoid hearing loss.
http://www.cctv.org/watch-tv/programs/south-burlington-city-council-14
http://www.hmmh.com/cmsdocuments/UCD_Mar07_Health_Effects.pdf
The complete citation for EPA fact listed in this last article on the Health Effects of Aviation Noise.
The Air Force Times says that the Eglin study showed the plane to be twice as loud as a plane similar to the F-16 (the F 15C).
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/10/airforce_f35_basing_102608/
Linus Leavens of South Burlington does a great job of pointing out flaws in the material that the Airforce used from Edwards Airforce Base to refute their own EIS study. He also points out the dBA scale filters out low frequency sounds, of which the F-35 emits more.
“Moving jets produce a cone of sound, which follows them along the ground. The chart shows the measurement was taken on the ground directly below the jet at 1000′ level flight. The full effect of the jet was not measured (by design- see their own photo), because the sound wake hadn’t even got there yet. The difference between the F-35 & the F-16 is greater than shown in the powerpoint chart.
The stealth design of the F-35 produces more sound than a conventional airframe design. Sound is produced by moving air particles. The stealth surfaces & angles break the air less efficiently than conventional design airframes. That means more sound is created by stealth aircraft when turning & landing. Turning & landing was not measured & is not shown in the chart.
http://f35insouthburlington.blogspot.com/ September 6, 2010
An explanation of the decibel as well as various versions of the decibel is found at:
http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/dB.html
Health effects from sound include:
Aircraft noise raises blood pressure, even when asleep.
Science Daily, February 17, 2008 quoting a study published in the European Heart Journal
Women exposed to 60 decibels of jet noise at night are twice as likely to contract breast cancer. Men exposed to jet noise have a 69{33979494efa9b9c28f844b5c37a1ddedf4bb90a2eb3dac7a83ede58b7eac2e67} higher risk of being hospitalized for cardiovascular disease, and women an astonishing 93{33979494efa9b9c28f844b5c37a1ddedf4bb90a2eb3dac7a83ede58b7eac2e67} greater chance, compared with counterparts in quieter residential areas. Women who are exposed to jet noise of about 60 decibels during the day are 172{33979494efa9b9c28f844b5c37a1ddedf4bb90a2eb3dac7a83ede58b7eac2e67} more likely to suffer a stroke.
Tristana Moore, December 15, 2009, Times Magazine, Berlin quoting study commissioned by Bonn authorities for breast cancer info., and then quoting a study commissioned by Germany’s Federal Environment Agency regarding the strokes and other cardiovascular effects.
Effects of aircraft noise on children’s learning include lowered test scores for reading, “learned helplessness”, potential delays in language acquisition and some studies suggest memory deficits.
http://www.hmmh.com/cmsdocuments/UCD_Mar07_Health_Effects.pdf
“The children in the chronic noise group experienced modest but significant increases in blood pressure and significant increases in stress hormones (epinephrine, norepinephrine and cortisol) while the children in the quiet areas experienced no significant changes. Eighteen months after the airport opened, the children exposed to the chronic aircraft noise also reported a significant decline in their quality of life.”
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/03/980306043455.htm
The Defense Department is opposing wind projects claiming that they interfere with radar concerns of the military.
F35A will get .4726 nm/gal (nautical miles/gallon of benzene); F35B will get .4830 nm/gal; F35C will get .5105 nm/gal
The F-35A will hold 18,500 pounds of fuel.
Specs for calculations from
www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/f-35-specs.htm
Note: benzene density depends on viscosity, grade, etc., but ranges from .879 kg/litre to .836 kg/litre For an average, this equals 7.16 pounds/gallon.
www.engineersedge.com/fluid-flow/fluid-data.htm
1 gallon = 3.785411784 litres; 1 pound = .453592 kg.
F-16 in comparison (need info here)
Jet Propulsion No. 8 (JP-8) is refined from crude or shale oil to a range of C9 to C16 compounds. The exact composition depends on the crude it is refined from, but batch-to-batch differences are generally minor. Compounds lighter than C9, such as benzene, are crude oil contaminants and are usually found in small quantities less than 0.05{33979494efa9b9c28f844b5c37a1ddedf4bb90a2eb3dac7a83ede58b7eac2e67} by volume in the fuel [16-18]. (This would approximate 1.29 gallons times 7.16 lbs/gal per tank = 9.25 pounds of benzene/tank.) At 10 sorties per day of 4 planes each, that equals 370 pounds/day of benzene released.
Toxicology: Benzene is a human carcinogen and a hematopoietic toxicant. Chronic exposure is associated with blood disorders, such as aplastic anemia and leukemia. Acute exposure results in severe eye and moderate skin irritation. Benzene can be absorbed through the skin [17,19-21]. Very littleinformation is available on human toxicity from JP-8; however, JP-8 health effects are thought to resemble those of kerosene. Short-term exposure to elevated levels of JP-8 may cause nausea, eye irritation, and dizziness [19,22-26].
http://airforcemedicine.afms.mil/idc/groups/public/documents/afms/ctb_002188.pdf
Benzene is more volatile at ambient temperatures than the primary constituents of jet fuel, leading to disproportional higher concentrations within confined spaces such as fuel tanks (for military workers exposed).
Fuel dumping (need info here)
Ozone depletion
The US military is responsible for ½ of the worldwide use of CFC-113, the Department of Defense is a major user of Halon 1211 and CVC-113, which account for 13{33979494efa9b9c28f844b5c37a1ddedf4bb90a2eb3dac7a83ede58b7eac2e67} of overall ozone depletion. Ozone depletion is linked to serious health problems including skin cancer, cataracts, and a number of diseases affected by immunosuppression, such as HIV.
Taking Stock: The Impact of Militarism on Development Part 2: Environment Impact of World Military Establishments; Science for Peace, University College, University of Toronto.
Burlington has been targeted by the military for its clean air, because the additional impact from pollution would be costly in an area that is already polluted to regulatory caps.
Public Hearing on VTANG F-35 Fighter Jets; South Burlington
http://www.cctv.org/watch-tv/programs/south-burlington-city-council-14
Minute 67:23
Ms. Cheryl Parker, Headquarters Air Combat Command, EIS project manager for the F-35, stands up to attempt to clarify her response by stating as follows:
“The United States is broken out into those areas that are in attainment, that means you have good air and you haven’t spewed out a lot of pollutants in the air, or you’re in non-attainment which means you live in the Las Vegases of the world, or the Phoenixes of the world, or the New York Cities of the world, that spew out a lot of pollutants like carbon dioxide or ozone. And so you have to clean up your air quality. And so, at some of the bases we’re looking at, for instance for the training EIS they’re looking at Luke AFB, and they’re going to have to do a lot more work because Luke has dirty air. Burlington doesn’t. So that’s not going to be an issue for us. The other thing we have to realize is that some of the bases we’re looking at, they’re going to be getting up to 72 aircraft. Here at Burlington it would be 18 or 24 aircraft. And I did not mean to make you think that air quality is not a concern at Burlington, what I’m saying is if you’re in non-attainment or if you have dirty air, there are very specific things that we have to do as a federal agency.”
Jobs
Vermont’s Adjutant General Michael D. Dubie of the Air Force talks about the fact that we would lose maintenance jobs if the F-35 comes to VT because there is less maintenance involved due to the nature of its design. They follow this up by saying they would likely outsource the maintenance to centralized locations akin to how the private airlines operate as it’s more cost-effective. In other words, we are losing jobs and then some either way.
http://www.cctv.org/watch-tv/programs/south-burlington-city-council-14
Minute 45 and 47.
Money/Resources
The cost of buying and operating a new fleet of jet fighters for the U.S. military is nearing $1 trillion, according to a congressional audit that found the program dogged by delays, manufacturing inefficiencies and price increases. Released March 12, the report from the Government Accountability Office offers a sobering assessment of the ambitious effort to deliver a modern series of aircraft known as the F-35 Lightning II to the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.
http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,163800,00.html
The F-35 Lightning II strike fighter program will breach the Nunn-McCurdy limits with a cost growth of more than 50 percent from the original 2001 program baseline, said a top Pentagon program evaluator. Christine Fox, director of the Defense Department’s Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office, told lawmakers Thursday that the formal declaration of the breach will occur April 1. She said the Pentagon has known of this since October. That’s one month earlier than had previously been reported. The Defense Department’s latest estimates predict that each of the jets slated to be purchased will carry a price tag of between $80 million and $95 million in 2002 dollars. That’s $95 million and $113 million in 2009 dollars, respectively. In 2001, the Defense Department pegged the cost per Joint Strike Fighter at $50.2 million apiece for 2,852 jets. The Pentagon updated that estimate to $69.2 million in 2007 for a planned order of 2,443 jets.
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/03/defense_jsf_breach_031110w/
“The F-35 program has already seen a 54.4{33979494efa9b9c28f844b5c37a1ddedf4bb90a2eb3dac7a83ede58b7eac2e67} increase in overall program costs per aircraft delivered from 2001 to the present day, and the US GAO believes that another 14.5{33979494efa9b9c28f844b5c37a1ddedf4bb90a2eb3dac7a83ede58b7eac2e67} rise to about $327 billion for 2,456 American fighters could still lie ahead. If the GAO is correct, it would place the fully-loaded program cost of each F-35 at $137 million. That price is not at all the same as the “flyway cost” of buying an individual aircraft, but it does affect program partners if the USA isn’t prepared to bear those additional program costs alone.”
October 12, 2008
War/Peace
“Nationally, 69{33979494efa9b9c28f844b5c37a1ddedf4bb90a2eb3dac7a83ede58b7eac2e67} of Americans oppose the Iraq war and 62{33979494efa9b9c28f844b5c37a1ddedf4bb90a2eb3dac7a83ede58b7eac2e67} oppose the Afghan war, according to an August 17, 2010 CNN poll.”
Poll: Opposition to Iraq, Afghanistan wars reach all time high
This plane is not about defense. It’s a stealth bomber also designed for in-air combat. This video shows how the “bad guys” can be decimated. This video does not address accidents, or the fact that most people dying from aggressive U.S. attacks are the women, elders and children considered to be “collateral damage”.
The US is already giving Israel a $3 billion in foreign aid package with which to buy this plane; it seems that the US is ponying up in additional ways: “Part of this deal are huge offsets which includes “the U.S. having agreed to reciprocal purchases of equipment from Israel’s defense industries totaling between $4 billion and $9 billion.” This makes the Israeli F-35 the most expensive variant per aircraft because the U.S. taxpayer will be picking up the tab via this legal money laundering deal.”
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/business/finance-minister-contests-purchase-of-f-35-stealth-jets-1.309861
Accidents/Terrorism
Starlifter 66-0173 was parked on the ramp at Pope AFB. Army paratroops were boarding the plane for an exercise airdrop mission. At that moment a USAF F-16D (88-0171) entered the traffic pattern on finals for runway 23. The F-16 collided with a USAF Lockheed C-130E Hercules (68-10942) at an altitude of 300 feet. The C-130 continued and landed safely. Both F-16 pilots ejected, but the airplane crashed onto the taxiway. It skidded into the loading C-141, puncturing the fuel tanks in the right wing, causing a massive fire. Of approximately 500 troops in the vicinity of the accident, 23 were killed and over 80 were injured.
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19940323-2
An F-16 crashed into an occupied area of Hengelo, Netherlands. Fortunately there were no injures and the pilot ejected safely. Shortly after takeoff, there were engine problems which resulted in the crash.
http://www.f-16.net/aircraft-database/F-16/mishaps-and-accidents/airforce/RNLAF/46/
The Wall-Street Journal reports a security breach in the F-35 JSF program.
“Computer spies have broken into the Pentagon’s $300 billion Joint Strike Fighter project — the Defense Department’s costliest weapons program ever — according to current and former government officials familiar with the attacks.
Similar incidents have also breached the Air Force’s air-traffic-control system in recent months, these people say. In the case of the fighter-jet program, the intruders were able to copy and siphon off several terabytes of data related to design and electronics systems, officials say, potentially making it easier to defend against the craft….
The U.S. has no single government or military office responsible for cyber security. The Obama administration is likely to soon propose creating a senior White House computer-security post to coordinate policy and a new military command that would take the lead in protecting key computer networks from intrusions, according to senior officials…
As for the intrusion into the Air Force’s air-traffic control systems, three current and former officials familiar with the incident said it occurred in recent months. It alarmed U.S. national security officials, particularly at the National Security Agency, because the access the spies gained could have allowed them to interfere with the system, said one former official. The danger is that intruders might find weaknesses that could be exploited to confuse or damage U.S. military craft.”
http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB124027491029837401.html
The Pentagon and Lockheed-Martin Corporation are denying this breach…sort of…
“But the Wall Street Journal said it is continuing to stand behind the story, noting that although Pentagon officials originally refused to comment specifically on the allegations, the Air Force had commenced an inquiry and investigation into the matter. The Defense Department said it did not comment on alleged or actual cyber infiltrations, potential impacts to DoD operations, or any possible investigations. Lieutenant Colonel Eric Butterbaugh of the Air Force, a department spokesman, said they do not want to deny information on a potential success or failure that might help an attacker.”
http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1675451/pentagon_denies_f35_security_breach_report/
Links
Clearinghouse for Vermont residents
www.stopthef35.com
Petition to STOP the F-35
http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/stopthef35
The Air Force presentation on the F-35 at the South Burlington City Council Meeting last April:
http://www.cctv.org/watch-tv/programs/south-burlington-city-council-14
Excellent blog by Juliet Buck devoted to the topic of the F-35 in South Burlington:
http://f35insouthburlington.blogspot.com/