Pentagon weapons tester casts new doubts on F-35 progress

[TexasTowelie]

Pentagon officials have been preparing a misleading assessment of progress on Lockheed Martin’s F-35 program, the Defense Department’s chief tester warned.

“If not changed, the existing responses would at best be considered misleading and at worst, prevarications,” Michael Gilmore, director of operational test and evaluation, wrote in an internal memo criticizing the draft response to questions about F-35 testing from Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain.

Gilmore’s memo is the latest example of his vocal doubts about the F-35’s performance in key tests. His critiques are at odds with the Pentagon’s narrative that the program is on course after earlier problems. President-elect Donald Trump and his defense secretary — he’s nominating retired General James Mattis — will have to decide next year whether to increase F-35 production to 70 in fiscal 2018 from 63 this year, as requested by the Defense Department.

Trump, who on Tuesday complained that the cost of the new Air Force One being developed by Boeing “is totally out of control,” has also raised questions in the past about the F-35. In an October 2015 interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump criticized the fighter’s cost and said he heard “that it’s not very good” and that “existing planes are better.”

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/business/article119408453.html

[Thinkingabout]

1. The F-35 program continues to rise in cost and still they have not produced a jet which is

functioning as first desired, they continue to get funded, it is time to look into Lockheed Martin production of this project, either come up with a product which is functioning or quit gathering more funding.