More Bad News For the F-35

schwit1 sends this news from Aviation Week: "A new U.S. Defense Department report warns that ongoing software, maintenance and reliability problems with Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 stealth fighter could delay the Marine Corps' plans to start using its F-35 jets by mid-2015. It said Lockheed had delivered F-35 jets with 50 percent or less of the software capabilities required by its production contracts with the Pentagon. The computer-based logistics system known as ALIS was fielded with 'serious deficiencies' and remained behind schedule, which affected servicing of existing jets needed for flight testing, the report said. It said the ALIS diagnostic system failed to meet even basic requirements. The F35 program, which began in 2001, is 70 percent over initial cost estimates, and years behind schedule, but top U.S. officials say it is now making progress. They have vowed to safeguard funding for the program to keep it on track. Earlier this week, the nonprofit Center for International Policy said Lockheed had greatly exaggerated its estimate (PDF) that the F-35 program sustained 125,000 U.S. jobs to shore up support for the program."

Comments

Re: Waste of money

[AmiMoJo]

Iraq's military was poorly trained and equipped. On the other hand small but well trained and moderately well equipped enemies have been able to shoot down stealth bombers with impunity in the past. Part of the trick was making the anti-SAM systems waste time tracking fake sites and firing missiles at them, and part of it was only turning on radar arrays for a short time and moving them around. A bit of careful tuning allowed detection of stealth aircraft and a hit using a surface to air missile.

Just because you won against an already badly beaten enemy with ancient equipment doesn't mean you can beat anyone. Your potential enemies are well aware of your tactics and capabilities so are fairly unlikely to just turn their radars on and wait to die.