Posted on 11/02/2010 8:28:17 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Reported 3-year delay in F-35 program may impact delivery
By YAAKOV KATZ
11/03/2010 04:52
Less than a month after Israel signs contact to purchase squadron of stealth F-35 fighter jet, an internal review may affect delivery to the IAF.
Less than a month after Israel signed a multibillion-dollar contract to purchase a squadron of stealth F-35 Joint Strike Fighters (JSF), the Pentagon revealed on Tuesday that an internal review of the development program had concluded that delivery of the plane would be delayed by three years.
On Tuesday, the Pentagon’s Defense Acquisition Board submitted a report to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates – called the F-35 Technical Base Review (TBR) – which was prepared to examine the $382 billion program.
The review reportedly contains predictions that the JSF program will encounter a three-year delay and will cost at least $5b. more than initially planned. According to the reports, the United States Air Force will begin to receive the plane in 2018.
In early October, Israel signed a $2.75b. contract with the Pentagon for 20 JSFs, which are, according to the agreement, supposed to be delivered to the Israel Air Force between 2015 and 2017. If the program has encountered delays, it could affect the planned delivery date to Israel.
This is not the first time the JSF program has encountered delays. Earlier problems led the IAF to conduct a review of Boeing’s F-15, which was considered but them dismissed as an interim alternative until the F-35 was deemed operational.
The F-35 will be one of the most advanced fighter jets in the world and will enable Israel to phase out some of its older F-15 and F-16 models. According to the IAF, the plane – manufactured by Lockheed Martin – will significantly boost Israel’s deterrence in the Middle East and provide it with an edge on adversaries that operate advanced anti-aircraft systems, since it is stealthy and cannot be detected by existing radars.
The Defense Ministry refused to respond officially to the reports, but a senior defense official said he did not believe the report submitted to Gates on Tuesday would impact Israeli plans to receive the plane.
“Even if there is a delay, it does not mean that the Israeli plan will be affected,” the official said.
In response to the report, Lockheed Martin said, “The US government has been working on an F-35 Technical Baseline Review with full support from Lockheed Martin. The findings are under review within the government and will be presented to the Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) on November 22. It would be premature for Lockheed Martin to discuss the results of the TBR until the findings of the DAB have been released.”
I always had doubts about this plane/program. I didn’t like the idea that we would share a jet with 30 or so other countries. I didn’t like the idea we would share it with the Arab countries. I didn’t like the idea that they tried to make 1 jet fit all applications land/sea fighter/bomber. Things I read seemed odd, like it had lower capacity for weapons and guns than other jets. And I don’t know why we scrapped the F-22 entirely in favor of something that wasn’t yet proven.
For it to be delayed 3 more years is a travesty beyond travesties. It’s almost like a metaphor for .. well .. many things.
Hmm,
What I didn’t get from the article is if the plane will be delayed or it’s delivery to Israel will be. Israel is last in line for the plane, their getting it late doesn’t mean we will or GB or Italy.
Yes, I wondered that as well. But then I reread this part “an internal review of the development program had concluded that delivery of the plane would be delayed by three years.”
That it was an internal review seems to imply everyone will be delayed by 3 years. Though you could be right and only others will be delayed. Israel did dilly-dally on the purchase, but they really had no choice but to buy it.
As a matter of history, do you recall how late the first F-22 delivery was? Or the V-22 Osprey? For that matter, do you know how late the first Boeing 787 Dreamliner delivery is?
Designing a new aircraft isn't as easy today as is was during WWII when a design could go from concept to prototype in 18 months.
Remember that the F-35 program is actually three different planes.
According to this article and several others I've read, the F-35A and F-35C will be delayed by at least a year. It is the USMC's F-35B, the STOVL version that the Royal Navy just canceled, is the one that will be up to 3 years late due in part to ongoing problems with the lift system.
Yes but the difference is procurement for all other planes has halted as far as I know. On other planes if they were late we still had options. Though if it is just 1 version of the plane, perhaps it’s not as bad as it sounds.
With the ongoing changes to the aircraft as it is developed into a production item, it doesn't make a lot of sense to buy a bunch of them then have to retrofit them later, especially if the retrofit is something structural that is hard to reach after the aircraft is assembled.
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