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Posted on 10/16/2017 7:03:45 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
The U.S. military has signaled that it might cancel essential upgrades for more than 100 early model F-35 stealth fighters flown by the Air Force, rendering the radar-evading jets incompatible with many of the latest weapons.
In that case, some 6 percent of the flying branch’s planned 1,700-strong F-35 fleet would be unfit for combat, sticking U.S. taxpayers with a $20 billion tab for fighters... that can’t fight.
Experts say the military never should have bought the planes the first place, as they rolled out of Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth factory before the F-35’s design was complete and thoroughly tested—a deliberate strategy called “concurrency” that the military hoped would speed up the program’s progress.
“The risk that the services would be stuck with less-than-capable aircraft is one that the Pentagon knowingly took when leaders decided to overlap the development and testing of the program with the production,” wrote Dan Grazier, an analyst with the Project on Government Oversight in Washington, D.C. Skipping upgrades for 108 older F-35As—“concurrency orphans,” Grazier dubbed them—is reportedly one option under consideration as the Pentagon tries to find money for scores of newer F-35s. “We’re looking at solution spaces to give our warfighters options,” Navy Vice Adm. Matt Winter, head of the F-35 program, told Flight Global. The military asked Congress to fund 70 F-35s in 2018 for $10.3 billion.
The F-35s in question mostly have the so-called Block 2B software, which the military calls the “initial warfighting” version of the jet’s complex computer code. F-35s with Block 2B software can carry just four different kinds of bombs and missiles—far fewer than the F-35 was designed to carry when the fully combat-capable Block 3C software is installed.
Jets with Block 3C code are also more maneuverable than Block 2B models are.
(Excerpt) Read more at thedailybeast.com ...
DJT was elected in part to eliminate government waste just like this. Somebody made a ton of money on the buying/selling us useless crap like this that doesn’t work
So how hard is it to install new software?
OH, I forgot, I’ll bet this upgrade will COST to install it.
McNuts?
“Can’t fight” and “only carries four types of bombs and missiles” seem contradictory. At any rate, using them in a training role probably makes sense if it’s not cost-effective to upgrade them.
Truthfully, they’d probably function fine as bombers, escorted by fully upgraded F-35s and F-22s.
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I’m quite sure that the “Daily Beast” is giving us the 100% pure true story here, with no leftist agenda-driven spin.
Keep in mind this is the far left Daily Beast...
Chelsea Clinton is on their board.
Take it with a BIG grain of salt in other words.
DoD Acquisition has been broken forever.
Largely the fault of Congress.
If DoD realistically priced all of the detailed requirements they want, Congress would never approve.
The result is poorly defined requirements, low estimates, and unrealistic schedules.
All Congress cares about is being able to point to shiny new toy bringing jobs to their voters.
The F4 is still my favorite - and can probably still put up a good fight.
Yes, because we all know how efficient and cost conscious the DoD is when it comes to how they spend our money.
Between DOD and Daily Beast, I’ll side with DOD.
Every time.
Software problems?
Quick! Call the Awan Brothers!
The Blue Angels put on a heck of a show with the F4. Crazy powerful, fast and maneuverable machines.
I’ve heard very contradictory things on the F-35. These are not cheese sandwiches they’re making. They are extremely complicated systems; if you add up all the software, its probably tens of millions of lines of code (maybe even hundreds of millions). It is not at all unusual for it to take years to work the bugs out of new weapons systems. The B-1 was a textbook example of that.
The old F4. Proof that if you give a brick enough thrust, it will fly.
And is someone their Shorting Lockheed Martin.
No mention of course the F-35 might have seen combat already...
http://www.businessinsider.com/f-35-combat-mission-syria-2017-4
If DoD realistically priced all of the detailed requirements they want, Congress would never approve.
I think it takes about 15% of your aircraft in a new type to use as training work horse planes. In the case of the Lightning A version that Eglin and Luke. Since they need about 144 as trainers, I am not sure if this matters a wit.
As the software was loaded and first tested by the pilots I saw, it was enough to keep about 1200 guys pretty busy.
One of the biggest swamps that needs draining is the Pentagon. Heck, at least audit them.
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