PK was a Navy fighter pilot that used to be on FR and always said the f35 was a clusterfluk... somewhere, he's laughing
Posted on 08/25/2016 7:44:06 PM PDT by Chode
One week after the U.S. Air Force declared the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter ready for combat, the Pentagon's top weapons tester warned that the aircraft is still fraught with problems and that fully-capable planes might not be available before the deadline that marks the end of development and the beginning of realistic combat testing.
The Pentagon's director of operational testing, Michael Gilmore, stated in a memo obtained by Bloomberg that the F-35 is "actually not on a path toward success but instead on a path toward failing to deliver" the plane's full combat capabilities on time. Gilmore also said the plane is "running out of time and money" to address deficiencies
The U.S. Air Force declared the F-35A—the Joint Strike Fighter's land-based variant—Initial Operational Capability (IOC) on August 2nd. That means that the stealthy fighter is cleared for deployments—including combat—although the plane is not fully functional. Gilmore's memo was dated August 9th. The F-35A was originally set to achieve IOC in 2011.
Gilmore warned that the plane "is at substantial risk" of not being fully combat capable—that is, at risk of not being able to use its full range of promised weapons, sensors, and other advanced systems—before late summer or early fall 2017, when realistic combat testing is set to commence.
The problem seems to be due to delays in getting the Block 3F software package, which controls much of the F-35's most important features, ready for the entire F-35 fleet. Block 3F is known as the "full warfighting package" and having it operational is one of the key requirements of ending F-35 development. Testing now appears likely to be pushed back to later in 2017 or even 2018.
At least 15 capabilities in the 3F software package—including the ability to process enemy radar signals, track moving targets on the ground, share imagery between aircraft, use the GPS-guided GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb, and operate the plane's 25-millimeter gun—are all still under development and at risk of not being ready for combat testing.
For its part, the F-35 program office told Bloomberg that the report contained "absolutely no surprises" and that all of the issues mentioned were well-known and in the process of being resolved. Exactly when they would be resolved was not mentioned.
The F-35 program office would like to get successful testing behind the troubled fighter as soon as possible, as that would open the door for large "block buys" of F-35s for the United States and its allies. Such buys take advantage of economies of scale and result in lower per-plane prices.
In addition to the U.S., the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, South Korea, Italy, Australia, Japan and Israel are all committed to buying the F-35, with other countries including Canada and Singapore potential customers.
That was my Exact thought.
This is sensitive military weapon system intelligence, and loose lips sink ships.
yup, make too many changes at once and you don’t know what’s affecting what
Agreed. Not only I, but history agrees with you!
Good one, but hey, they get there eventually with bloated service packs until the version becomes obsolete...btw, the F-35 will never replace the A-10 in the CAS role.
It is likely that every Line Replacable Unit (LRU) has a control/status processor. The prime contractor may not build anything, but just manage requirement allocation to subsystems and manage Interconnection Control Documents. Sometimes the prime contractor does not even do the integration of the final product. When there are operating systems changes it is a real nightmare to manage because it is usually not a planned event and there is no one staffed to manage all of the subcontractors. And the subcontractors are many times not funded to manage the operating system changes.
I love how “We have some challenges” has become a euphemism for “This thing is a cluster****”.
With only a few second burst we are going to loose good troops needlessly. All part of the plan I guess.
Don’t panic about the time scale:
F22 over 20 years, EF2000 over 20 years.
There’s at least another 5 years left in the bag.
Like a Guinness, good things sometimes take time. :)
The F-35 looks to fat to be a fighter : )
The F-117, in no way, was a fighter... it had NO guns.
The F-35, on the other hand, is a piece of junk with a big price tag... I would keep the F-16s (my bird when I was in the USAF) and use the F-35s for scrap... (even start up the F-22 production line again would be better.. it is the only thing that is better than either the F-15 OR the F-16).
“This is sensitive military weapon system intelligence, and loose lips sink ships”
Although I don’t think this to be the case, it could be dis-information.
100%
100%
the AF doesn’t want the CAS mission but unfortunately they don’t want anybody else to have it either...
“Testing now appears likely to be pushed back to later in 2017 or even 2018.”
An in the following year, 2019, the Chinese F-22 knock off becomes combat operational ...
Money line form the video: In not a single dogfight was the F-35 either able to defend itself against an attack from the F-16 or to convert its attack into a kill. Both planes are multi-role.
And so it was (in another test) that five F-15s could not beat a single F-22, then what chance does the F-35 junk have against an SU-27 or the upcoming J-20? All of these are air-superiority.
The Mil Brass is rapidly running out of money that could have been used for other essential programs in its headlong rush for the F-35 (and a lot of them as they will be lost by the dozen in actual combat).
somewhere, PukinDog is laughing...
I agree about the 117 - it was just called the Stealth Fighter.
I have no idea who PD is/was or why he’d be laughing or at what.
BTW, the F-35 DOESN'T EVEN LOOK MENACING!
PK was a Navy fighter pilot that used to be on FR and always said the f35 was a clusterfluk... somewhere, he's laughing
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