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Details of the revamped F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program are emerging and showing that, despite more than nine years of work, almost six years of challenging development and testing still lie ahead for the Lockheed Martin-led project. Both flight testing and software development have been replanned using industry-standard productivity rates rather than the aggressive—and unachievable—assumptions on which the original program was built. This means many more sorties to refly flight-sciences test points and for regression testing of mission-system software changes. The replan adds 2,000 flights to the program—for a total of 7,800, just 600 of which have been completed—and extends...

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has learned that development of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will be further delayed, on top of the 13-month slip that was disclosed in March. Gates also was advised in a Nov. 2 briefing that operations and support costs for the F-35 will be re-budgeted at 1.5 times the aircraft it replaces, more than twice the original goal and 50% more than more recent projections, according to reports. The briefing also covered other tactical aviation issues, and reportedly included data from the technical baseline review (TBR) that was launched by the new director of the JSF...

Deputy defense minister Andrew Yang says Taiwan is interested in buying F-35 fighter jets in the future. Those jets are more advanced than the F-16C/Ds which Taiwan has requested to purchase from the United States. Yang's comments came in an interview with the Washington Times, which was published on Thursday. Yang said that right now Taiwan has about 90 F-5s but the aging fleet is urgently in need of replacement. Yang also said Taiwan needs newer models of the F-16A/B fighter jets that it currently owns. He said that's to cope with growing missile and aircraft threats from China. Yang...

Saab celebrates 'supercruise' test success for Gripen Demo By Craig Hoyle Saab's Gripen Demo aircraft has passed a significant milestone in its ongoing test programme, with the two-seater having on 21 January demonstrated its "supercruise" performance for the first time. Company test pilot Magnus Ljungdahl says the aircraft was flown to a speed of more than Mach 1.2 at 28,000ft (8,540m) above the Baltic Sea, and adds: "Without using afterburner I maintained the same speed until I ran out of test area." The sortie was conducted from Saab's Linköping test centre. Saab says the supercruise event forms part of a...

Today Norway and Saab, through Gripen International, have signed a Letter of Agreement regarding the future development of the Gripen fighter. The total value of this agreement is some 150 million Norwegian Kronor (approx. $25 million). This agreement strengthens Gripen´s chances of being selected as the future fighter aircraft for the Norwegian Air Force. The Norwegian Defence Minister Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen and the Swedish Defence Minister Mikael Odenberg, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on co-operation in development work on the future versions of Gripen. This agreement is an important step for Gripen as a candidate to be selected as Norway´s future...