Posted on 03/21/2012 4:34:17 PM PDT by U-238
The F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter program -- the centerpiece of future tactical aviation and a key to implementing new military strategic guidance -- made strong progress in its development last year, a defense official said today.
Frank Kendall, acting undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, told the House Armed Services Committee that the fighter aircraft is essential to the Defense Department, and that it made "strong progress" in 2011.
"Last fall, the department engaged in a strategy and budget review, where everything -- and I do mean everything -- was on the table," Kendall said. "After a careful look at the joint strike fighter program, the department determined that we do need the JSF [and] that we need all three variants of the fighter, and that we need the planned inventory of 2,443 jets."
That said, Kendall added, "you must recognize there is still a long way to go for JSF." The F-35 flight test program is only about 20 percent complete and "many of the more challenging elements of flight test are still ahead of us," he said.
Kendall noted the F-35 development has reached a crucial point in the conversion from being conceptualized to actual production.
(Excerpt) Read more at defencetalk.com ...
Obama is following in those little foot prints of Jimmy.
Little boots.....
Little feet.
Balderdash!!!
I wonder when this official will get his payoff?
It’s a dog. They already canceled the superior aircraft...
The F-22 and F-35 were never supposed to be an either/or, they were supposed to complement each other in the same way the F-15 and F-16 complement each other.
20 percent complete with the testing phase.
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