F-35 News Over The Last Few Days

[unhappycamper]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/06/us-lockheed-fighter-idUSBRE85503520120606

F-35 production quality worries Senate panel
By Andrea Shalal-Esa
WASHINGTON | Tue Jun 5, 2012 9:58pm EDT

(Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday questioned the quality of production on the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, citing a "potentially serious issue" with its electronic warfare capability.

~snip~

Questions over the quality of production of the F-35 will compound the mounting woes of the $396 billion Pentagon program, which has already been restructured three times in recent years to extend the development phase and slow production.

The committee said it was troubled by the average rate of scrap, rework and repair at Lockheed's Fort Worth, Texas facility from 2009 through the first two months of 2012, but gave no details.

"Inattention to production quality" had led to the discovery of a potentially serious issue with an aperture on the plane that was critical to its electronic warfare capability, the report said. The full extent of the problem was not known, but it underscored the need for the Pentagon and Lockheed to "rigorously manage production quality," it said.


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Canadians are pissed at Peter MacKay for this $47,000 photo-op:

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06/05/opposition-parties-hammer-conservative-government-over-f-35-press-conference-that-cost-taxpayers-47000/



Associate Defence Minister Julian Fantino responds to a question during Question Period in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Tuesday.


Forget the F-35 bill: Peter MacKay fighter jet photo op cost taxpayers $47,000
Allison Cross Jun 5, 2012 – 4:52 PM ET | Last Updated: Jun 5, 2012 5:21 PM ET

Peter MacKay faced further embarrassment over the bungled F-35 procurement program Tuesday after it was revealed a 2010 Tory press conference to announce plans to buy 65 of the stealth fighter jets cost taxpayers $47,000.

The cost, opposition parties argue, is part of mounting evidence the Conservative government has grossly mismanaged the procurement of military equipment.

The press conference figure was revealed by Defence Minister Peter MacKay in a written response to an opposition question, tabled late Monday in Parliament.

Liberal defence critic John McKay asked for details about the event, which saw Mr. MacKay, Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose and Treasury Board President Tony Clement pose with a fake F-35 built by manufacturer Lockheed Martin.


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And the Koreans aren't too happy about flying simulators rather than the real thing:

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2012/06/07/46/0301000000AEN20120607004200315F.HTML

Controversy erupts over simulation test of F-35 in fighter jet purchase
2012/06/07 16:34 KST

SEOUL, June 7 (Yonhap) -- A plan to conduct performance tests of Lockheed Martin's F-35 using simulators, not an actual test flight by a South Korean pilot, has stirred up controversy here as Seoul prepares to buy an advanced fleet of stealth fighters.

Boeing's F-15 SE, Lockheed's F-35 and EADS Eurofighter are competing to win a huge deal worth upward of 10 trillion won (US$8.5 billion) to sell 60 combat fighters to South Korea, which will choose a supplier in October.

On-site performance tests will be held in June for the F-35, in August for the F-15 SE and in September for the Eurofighter, according to officials at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), South Korea's state arms procurement agency, on Thursday.

While Boeing and EADS agreed to carry out performance tests through actual flights with a Korean pilot on board, Lockheed refused to do so, saying the radar-evading warplane is not in service and still under development.


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Gary Clement summed it up best:

[TexasProgresive]

1. Thanks, unhappycamper

Are you back or have I been missing your posts on military news? I know that the various military Times came down on you posting.

In any case glad to see you.

[unhappycamper]

2. Strangely enough I have been working since the beginning of April.

My youngest son (31) is getting married this weekend and I took the week off to help with 'stuff'.

[DCKit]

3. Sounds like a good life, very happy for you.

You are someone many of us would want to have as a neighbor.