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DOD Is Stuck with a Flawed $1.5 Trillion Fighter Jet
The Fiscal Times ^ | 2/18/2014 | David Francis

Posted on 04/02/2014 9:21:58 AM PDT by Blood of Tyrants

On CBS’s “60 Minutes” on Sunday night, national security correspondent David Martin chronicled the seemingly never-ending list of problems with the Pentagon’s next-generation F-35 fight jet, from cost overruns of $160 billion to technical problems that have plagued the plane’s development.

When asked if the F-35 program, which is expected to cost some $1.5 trillion over the four-decade life of the program, is now under control, the Pentagon’s acquisition chief, Frank Kendall, said, "Yes, it is."

But that commitment came with a warning.

“Long gone is the time when we're going to pay for mistake after mistake after mistake," said Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, the officer who took control of the F-35 program last year. He added that the planes are necessary, however, to keep pace with the technology being developed by U.S. rivals Russia and China.

(Excerpt) Read more at thefiscaltimes.com ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 60minutes; 737; a12; aerospace; cbs; china; christopherbogdan; davidfrancis; davidmartin; defensespending; demagogicparty; f25; f35; fiscaltimes; frankkendall; lockheed; memebuilding; partisanmediashill; partisanmediashills; russia; seebs; stealthfighter
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The F-35 has been in development for over a decade and they are STILL not correct.
1 posted on 04/02/2014 9:21:58 AM PDT by Blood of Tyrants
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To: Blood of Tyrants
a DOD Inspector General report found 719 problems with the plane and said “Lockheed's failure to make sure subcontractors' work was not up to snuff.”

REALLY?

Lockheed is supposed to make sure work is "not up to snuff" ? ? ?

2 posted on 04/02/2014 9:24:38 AM PDT by Izzy Dunne (Hello, I'm a TAGLINE virus. Please help me spread by copying me into YOUR tag line.)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

The concept is that stealth trumps range, firepower and maneuverability. But stealth is affected by computing power and radar networking. Computing power is increasing so rapidly that this short range, under powered poorly armed plane will have a short useful lifespan when and if they do get it right.


3 posted on 04/02/2014 9:25:30 AM PDT by Gen.Blather
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To: Izzy Dunne

isnt this Brave New world Just Exhilarating??


4 posted on 04/02/2014 9:25:50 AM PDT by MeshugeMikey ( "Never, never, never give up". Winston Churchill)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

The F-35(like the “A-12”) IS A First Class PIECE OF LOCKHEED MARTIN SHIT!


5 posted on 04/02/2014 9:27:37 AM PDT by US Navy Vet (Go Packers! Go Rockies! Go Boston Bruins! See, I'm "Diverse"!)
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To: Blood of Tyrants
Look at the history of the 737. A very good and reliable plane since 1968 yet still has nagging design questions about the rudder actuator.

Such is the nature of airplanes. The cost of leading edge technology is constant change and improvement either to make the system better or to deal with surprises the designers didn't foresee.

6 posted on 04/02/2014 9:29:49 AM PDT by pfflier
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To: Blood of Tyrants

Misleading headline...

They should say the same about Obamacare, but they won’t


7 posted on 04/02/2014 9:30:15 AM PDT by Mr. K (If you like your constitution, you can keep it...Period. PALIN/CRUZ 2016)
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To: US Navy Vet

I don’t think any company could produce a plane like the govt is asking for.

It has to do everything for everyone.

They had a great plane, the F22 and threw it away.


8 posted on 04/02/2014 9:31:37 AM PDT by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: Blood of Tyrants
Yes. Try to design a single airplane that satisfies the wildly disparate needs of multiple end users, and you will end up with a design that doesn't satisfy anyone's needs.

You'll also end up with a platform that may have an unseen flaw that an enemy can can exploit to eliminate ALL branches' ability to fight and survive.

9 posted on 04/02/2014 9:31:50 AM PDT by null and void ( Everything evil in the world may not be Islamic but everything Islamic is evil.)
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To: pfflier

The 737 does its main job exceedingly well.

This aircraft doesn’t do anything well.


10 posted on 04/02/2014 9:32:24 AM PDT by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

Whatever happened to the F-22? ....................


11 posted on 04/02/2014 9:33:39 AM PDT by Red Badger (LIberal is an oxymoron......................)
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To: driftdiver

They need to revive this bird.


12 posted on 04/02/2014 9:34:20 AM PDT by US_MilitaryRules (Tastes like Heaven, Burns like Hell! Mmmmmm. What is it?)
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To: Blood of Tyrants; All

And I keep hearing that we shouldn’t be cutting the Defense Budget. This is what happens when you have more money than you need. You tolerate things like this.


13 posted on 04/02/2014 9:34:56 AM PDT by bigdaddy45
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To: Blood of Tyrants

I’ve long felt the flaws in the F-35 stem from the concept that the airframe could be adapted to be all things to all people. McNamara tried this with the F-111. He learned (eventually) that trying to make a plane that can do everything for everyone, especially in the hopes of saving costs usually ends up with a design that always costs far more than expected, and also usually results up in a compromise design that doesn’t excel in any particular area.

All in MHO, of course.


14 posted on 04/02/2014 9:36:07 AM PDT by DemforBush (The scourge of mariachis and polka bands everywhere.)
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To: driftdiver

The F22 had its own share of issues - but overall, it was probably the better choice, and yes - truckloads of $$$ were flushed down the toilet when it was cancelled.

Follow the $$$$....


15 posted on 04/02/2014 9:36:56 AM PDT by TheBattman (Isn't the lesser evil... still evil?)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

Its easy to say we aren’t paying for mistakes but this is a CPIF contract so, yes we are paying for mistakes. Ordering fewer jets doesn’t really punish LM so much as it punishes tax payers. It just means the cost per plane goes up, so we pay the same or higher total contract price for fewer units. It really just makes it harder to justify the increasing bill and hastening the death spiral.


16 posted on 04/02/2014 9:39:05 AM PDT by CPONuke
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To: driftdiver

I am not defending the F-35. I was just illustrating that an airframe is exceedingly fluid and full of surprises in its lifecycle.


17 posted on 04/02/2014 9:39:45 AM PDT by pfflier
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To: Blood of Tyrants

well, thank goodness we have the F-22 ...

oh wait...

thx 0bama


18 posted on 04/02/2014 9:41:48 AM PDT by sten (fighting tyranny never goes out of style)
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To: Red Badger

Discarded after spending billions, with the features rolled into the F-35.


19 posted on 04/02/2014 9:44:15 AM PDT by Cyber Liberty (H.L. Mencken: "The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.")
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To: pfflier

I would agree that any complex system is going to have problems.

In my ignorant opinion the F35 has an excessive number of issues and exists solely on its political supporters.


20 posted on 04/02/2014 9:45:02 AM PDT by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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