Pentagon report cites "lack of maturity" of Lockheed F-35 jet

[UnrepentantLiberal]

Source: Reuters



WASHINGTON - Lockheed Martin Corp's's new F-35 fighter jet has completed over a third of its planned flight tests, but it Still faces problems with the helmet needed to fly the plane, software development and weapons integration, according to a report by the Pentagon's chief weapons tester.

The 18-page report, sent to Congress on Friday, included a detailed account of those issues and others, which it said underscored the "lack of maturity" of the $396 billion weapons program, the Pentagon's most expensive ever.

The program exceeded the number of flight tests and specific system tests planned for 2012 but lagged in some areas due to unresolved problems and newly discovered issues, the report said. It said Lockheed did not accomplish all the tests planned for 2012, but boosted the year's total of specific tests by bringing forward some evaluations planned in later years.

Lockheed is building three different models of the F-35 fighter jet for the U.S. military and eight countries that helped pay for its development: Britain, Canada, Italy, Turkey, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia and Norway.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/13/us-lockheed-fighter-idUSBRE90C00D20130113

[Historic NY]

1. Canadan & Now Turkey have back out of the program....

its also being reported the UK is reconsidering on model purchase.

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/2012/12/canadas-f-35-procurement-cance.html

http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2013/01/11/turkey-postpones-f-35-order-because-of-technical-problems-and-rising-costs/

[onethatcares]

2. what better way

of flushing tax dollars down the MIC hole ??? No wonder we couldn't up the tax on those folks making over 250k a year

[UnrepentantLiberal]

4. $396 billion for fighter jets we don't need.

This country is fucked up.

[FreeBC]

12. Thats just development, we still have to buy them

at 200-400 million each

[onethatcares]

14. oh, then forget about my first post

that makes it all so much better

this country is really fucked,

[Historic NY]

15. Its estimated that the entire life cycle will be 1.40 trillion..

we can just mint a coin.

[ReRe]

3. Corporations are people....

...and jets are immature.

[valerief]

6. +1

[awoke_in_2003]

13. An F35...

toilet papered my house last night

[grahamhgreen]

5. Who are the billionaires in this story?

[UnrepentantLiberal]

7. This was posted in GD:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022183908

F-35 Marine Model Stress Testing Halted Over Cracks

Durability testing on the most complicated version of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s (LMT) F-35 was halted last month after “multiple” cracks were discovered in the fighter jet, according to the Pentagon’s testing office.

The previously undisclosed halt in high-stress ground testing involves the F-35B, the Marine Corps' version that must withstand short takeoffs and landings on carriers and amphibious warfare vessels, according to an annual report on the F-35 that Defense Department testing chief Michael Gilmore sent to Congress yesterday. Flight testing wasn’t affected.

Development of the F-35, the Pentagon’s costliest weapons system, has been marked by delays and cost increases. The Pentagon estimates the total cost for development and production of 2,443 F-35s will be $395.7 billion, a 70 percent increase since the initial contract with Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed Martin was signed in 2001.

Durability testing is intended to stress an airframe, assessing its capability to achieve a projected aircraft lifetime of 8,000 “equivalent flight hours.”

More: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-12/f-35-marine-model-stress-testing-halted-over-cracks.html

[bahrbearian]

8. Its a good thing that we have the F-22 for back up.

[Scootaloo]

9. Well, no doubt; it's letting the Joint Chief's dick extension hang out, look at that.

Gotta love our military budget; building new shit that we intend to destroy so we can make way for more newer shit that we intend to destroy!

Christ guys, even Microsoft stretches its planned obsolescence over three years!

[L0oniX]

10. It's another POS.

"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defence
than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death." Martin Luther King, Jr.

[FreeBC]

11. The F-35 is a well known scam

Nobody wants it except for the guys getting rich selling it to us and the Texas congressmen that serve them.

[Plucketeer]

16. We should ALL....

call our reps TOMORROW MORNING - and DEMAND they cut the military spending in HALF - if not even MORE - THIS WEEK. These stupid fucks work for US - not JUST the monied.

[AntiFascist]

17. + trillions n/t

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

18. A navy test pilot I know says in the eyes of most Navy airmen the program is already dead,

They're just waiting for congress to do the formalities.