As was predicted by some more than a decade ago, the F-35 program is limping along, failing to meet deadlines and re-scheduled deadlines and breaking budgets. Now its beginning to put allies who long ago joined the Pentagon in committing to the F-35 as the centerpiece of their next generation air defense planning in a tight spot as they face up to issues of delays and rising costs.
Earlier today, the Associated Press reported that Australia's defense minister said that nation (an F-35 development partner) it will reconsider its near term F-35 buying plans in the wake of the Pentagon's plans to keep production rates low while Lockheed Martin and the military complete more of the developmental testing and solve design and performance issues that have arisen and that may yet arise.Australian Defense Minister Stephen Smith said Monday that Canberra is only contractually obligated to take delivery of two of the warplanes. They will be based in the United States and be available from 2014 for training Australian pilots.Smith said Australia is reconsidering its schedule of buying another 12 during the following three years. “We will now give consideration to whether the timetable for the purchase of those 12 Joint Strike Fighters should occur on the same timetable,” Smith told reporters.Smith is concerned that any decision by the U.S. to reduce the number of jets it produces for its own forces would create another cost blowout.Smith said in August last year that he would announce in 2012 whether Australia will invest in an alternative fighter such as the Boeing Co. Super Hornet to ensure that schedule delays do not compromise Australia’s air force capabilities.As Lockheed officials point out, it's hard to drive down production costs if you don't build higher volumes of planes. On the other hand, it seems foolish (Lockheed would argue otherwise) to build more planes before testing and development is much closer to being done. Too many real and potential problems to be fixed later at great added costs, as the Pentagon's F-35 boss recently pointed out.Former in-house Pentagon analysts (and critic) Chuck Spinney opines on the F-35 program today at Time's Battleland blog where he writes:The F-35 is on track to be the most expensive program in the history of the Defense Department, and it has repeated just about every mistake we invented since Robert McNamara concocted the multimission, multi-service TFX (F-111) — a program conceived with the same kind of fanciful one-shoe fits all imaginings as the F-35.As Lockheed officials like to point out, the F-35 has been selected by Japan and Israel as their next generation warplane knowing full well, they say, all the problems and costs involved. Neither country has yet to place an order though and when they do one suspects those decisions may well be predicated on costs and development progress.Read more here: http://blogs.star-telegram.com/sky_talk/2012/01/australia-to-re-think-f-35-acquisition-plans.html#storylink=cpyHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
