Why The Pentagon Is Spending So Unbelievably Much On The F-35 [View all]

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http://www.businessinsider.com/lockheed-martin-f-35-guide-2014-4?op=1

Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is the most expensive acquisition in military history and one of the most controversial. Currently seven years behind schedule and $167 billion over budget, the F-35 program could cost over $1 trillion over its lifetime.
There are also concerns that the F-35 is vulnerable to being hacked, that its hull could crack, and that its design specifications have been stolen.

Despite that, the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy are sticking by the F-35 program, partially because the Air Force and Marine Corps have no alternatives, but also because of the great promise that the F-35 shows.

The F-35 evolved out of the Joint Strike Fighter competition, which was aimed at building a next-generation aircraft that could replace a range of fighter, strike, and ground-attack aircraft, in 1996.

The design of the F-35 was based partially on Lockheed Martin's F-22, a fifth-generation stealth supersonic supermaneuverable fighter aircraft. The F-35 has more advanced stealth as well as a broader range of capabilities.


Recent increases in Russian radar technology could render the F-35's stealth outdated, however, due to the plane's tail. The tail fins scatter particles in the very high frequency electromagnetic spectrum that could be detected by certain radar technologies. The VHF spectrum is commonly used for FM radio transmissions and air traffic control communications.


The F-35 does come with a radar jammer, but the jamming capability is isolated to the X-band of the electromagnetic spectrum, rendering it useless against radar detectors that work in other wavelengths.


Boeing has pounced upon this failure of its competitor to urge the Navy to buy more Boeing EA-18G Growlers, which are the undisputed champion of radar jamming.