First F-35 arrives at Eglin AFB in Florida
The
first F-35 stealth bomber has arrived at Eglin Air Force base in Florida (Hat Tip:
Sunlight).
The Department of Defense's first F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter touched down at its new home here July 14, marking a major milestone in the nation's military history.
Upon arrival, the jet officially became part of the Air Force inventory. It now belongs to the JSF training unit, the 33rd Fighter Wing.
Flying it in was Lt. Col. Eric Smith of the 58th Fighter Squadron, the first Air Force qualified F-35 pilot.
"It was a smooth ride in," said the colonel of the hour and 40 minute flight. "The jet behaved awesomely. I'm just so proud to bring it home to Eglin (Air Force Base)."
It should only continue to go well.
Labels: F-35, Joint Strike Fighter
More delays, more costs for the F-35
A Pentagon review indicates that there will be
more delays and higher costs to develop the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Pentagon’s costliest program, may see more price increases and new schedule delays of as much as three years, two government officials familiar with the matter said.
...
The $50 billion development phase may cost as much as $5 billion more, and Pentagon analysts now estimate the JSF may be as much as 1 1/2 times more expensive to maintain than the warplanes it will replace, according to preliminary estimates in Venlet’s review, the officials said.
...
Slippage in the JSF’s timetable may be as much as one year for the Air Force and Navy versions and two to three years for development of the Marine Corps model capable of short takeoffs and landings, the officials said.
The potential increases would be on top of changes unveiled this year by the Pentagon: a 13-month extension to the current development phase to November 2015, shifting of $2.8 billion in production funds for continued research and delaying the purchase of 122 jets to beyond 2015.
“How many more reviews will Gates have to hear before he acknowledges the F-35 is an unaffordable failure?” said Winslow Wheeler, a program critic who is director of the Washington- based Straus Military Reform Project. “The F-35 is rapidly becoming a millstone around his neck.”
Last month,
Israel signed a contract to become the first non-JSF country to purchase the F-35. Delivery of the 20 F-35's was to take place over eight years beginning in 2015. If they're still in the development phase in 2015, I doubt Israel will be getting any planes that year.
Fifteen months ago, the Obama administration proudly
killed the funding for the F-22, a jet coveted by Israel and Japan. Now, it looks like it will be 2016 or later before Israel gets the F-35, and it's going to cost 50% more than first estimated to maintain.
What could go wrong?
Labels: F-22, F-35, Joint Strike Fighter, Lockheed
The first F-35 stealth bomber has arrived at Eglin Air Force base in Florida (Hat Tip: Sunlight). 
