Pentagon and Lockheed Martin officials will likely give an upbeat assessment of the F-35 joint strike fighter program today at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
For perhaps the first time in nearly 10 years since the contract to develop a new-generation combat jet was awarded to Lockheed, there are many tangible signs of progress.But what may be most interesting is whether the Pentagon's top weapons buyer, Defense Undersecretary Ashton Carter, and the head of the F-35 program, Vice Adm. David Venlet, discuss the latest cost estimates for developing, buying and operating a fleet of 2,400-plus F-35s for the U.S. armed forces.The new estimates, which teams of Defense Department analysts have been working on since last year, are scheduled to be presented and analyzed by Carter and other top officials in briefings next week.Winslow Wheeler, a defense policy analyst for the Center for Defense Information in Washington who is a critic of the F-35, said he will be surprised if senators ask many tough questions despite the threat that growing program costs will explode future defense budgets and deter foreign purchases."I never expect fireworks in an Armed Services hearing," said Wheeler, a longtime Senate staff member. "The last time any member of this committee did any real oversight was when John McCain took on Boeing over the tanker program" in 2003.Lockheed will be represented at the open hearing by Tom Burbage, vice president and F-35 program general manager, who is frequently made responsible for reassuring U.S. and foreign government officials that progress is being made.Burbage's task should be somewhat easier than in the past.Lockheed is accelerating delivery of jets for testing, though those planes should have been flying two or three years ago. Three planes were flown in the last two weeks to testing bases in California and Maryland, bringing to 12 the number now flying.Lockheed officials say they're ahead of schedule on test flights and specific data requirements since the test program was rewritten last year. The planes are flying often and with minimal problems.An additional 11 airplanes are on the flight line adjacent to Lockheed's Fort Worth assembly line. Those planes are either going through myriad ground tests or awaiting installation of key parts or modification before flying.Still, testing remains years behind the original, often rewritten schedule. There are indications that the F-35 may not meet some key performance requirements, at least not without additional costly changes. And the real costs of buying and operating the aircraft remain unknown.According to a recent Pentagon report that was leaked last week, all three versions of the F-35 -- really three similar-looking but very different aircraft -- are unlikely to be able to fly as far and carry the required weapon loads specified by the military without further design and manufacturing modifications.Bob Cox, 817-390-7723Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
