Pentagon: Here are all the Problems with the F-35 (The F-35 has Another Problem)

Business Insider ^ | March 20, 2015 | Jeremy Bender

[lbryce]

The US military's fifth-generation fighter is no stranger to controversy.

The F-35, which comes with an estimated $1.5 trillion pricetag over the life of the program, has faced numerous hurdles and delays. Most recently, there have been concerns over its computer systems' vulnerability, and Chinese hackers have possibly stolen classified data related to the project.

The F-35's construction has continued, and it is being manufactured across multiple states and different countries. For better or worse, it's going to be the US and its allies' main warplane for decades to come.

Despite the setbacks, the F-35 program is continuing and the Navy, Marines, and Air Force are all busy testing their version of the aircraft. But just because the military is sticking to the F-35 doesn't mean it isn't acutely aware of the plane's myriad problems.

During the live flight testings in 2014, the Department of Defense's Office of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation compiled a report on the progress and failures of the F-35 program.

Here are some of the key problems that the Pentagon identified.

[lbryce]

This is a story covered by Bloomberg through its periodicals and even on You Tube. Most articles talk about The F-35 having a new problem. I don't like posting stories from Business Insider but I didn't have much to choose from.

The interesting thing is that most periodicals print the report as dated in 2014. Even Bloomberg and YouTube date it at 2014. Business Insider has it dated March,2015. So it seems this revelation was known for quite some time.

[Cheerio]

Hate to say it but after reading years of troubles for the F-35 in AWST, this fighter is going the way of the F-22. It's production will never survive the scalpel of the Congress, especially after Hitlery is elected and Canada has bailed on the program after electing Trudeau.

[BigBobber]

Anything software related can be fixed. I don’t see much here about the hardware other than a fuel tank issue.

Let’s just ask ourselves who has an interest in killing this program.

[Bulwyf]

This aircraft is a steaming pile of dung. It doesn’t fly fast, stealth can be defeated without too much difficulty, and it costs a pile. There is no reason whatsoever to continue this boondoggle.

We used to make good stuff, now we’re guaranteeing we’ll never have air superiority.

[PIF]

“Let’s just ask ourselves who has an interest in killing this program”

Just about anybody with common military sense - the plane is a boondoggle, put together by non-military committee after publishing numerous white papers no one read.

Against newer Russian and maybe Chinese fighters, a lone F-35 will be known as “American target”.

[Redmen4ever]

Here are the basic problem with the F-35:

(1) The everything plane. They wanted it to replace just about ever plane in the inventory. The result is a much too expensive compromise of everything with variants that are so different that they might as well be different planes.

(2) Air superiority mission. This thing, like others before it, was built to be an air superiority warplane. The AF has been dreaming of defeating the enemy at stand-off range since the 1950s, and saddling pilots with planes that don’t perform well in dog fights and fall short in terms of attack and ground support missions.

[patro]

It’s just another defense pork program. If the Marine Corps were to contract upgrades for the AV-8B Harrier, it would be less expensive and more effective.

The same goes for the V-22 Osprey. They replaced the CH-46E Sea Knight with it because “the airframe was too old”, yet the very same AH-1Z Super Cobra and UH-1 Huey, as well as the CH-53E Super Stallion are just as original as the CH-46E, and they did upgrades on them.

[Sequoyah101]

and the fuel tank and low temperature fuel are such simple things to fix. /s

[JoeFromSidney]

The Distributed Aperture System continues to exhibit high false-alarm rates and false target tracks, and poor stability performance, even in later versions of software."

When I was assigned to Wright Field back in the 1950s the "distributed aperture" issue was then simply a gleam in designers' eyes. Talked about, but no one knew how to implement it. It may be having problems now, but at least we've reached the point where at last it's feasible.

[Chode]

somewhere, PukinDog is laughing...

[CodeToad]

Correction to the story: I HIGHLY doubt the Chinese stole any software, but, rather, Chinese workers were hired to build the software and merely emailed it to China. So did the Russians, the Indians, the Pakis, etc.

[rey]

The Duffleblog has reported extensively on the F35:

http://www.duffelblog.com/2014/02/f35-delays-sentience/

http://www.duffelblog.com/2015/08/f-35-loses-dogfight-to-red-baron/

http://www.duffelblog.com/2015/09/pentagon-requests-500-gold-plated-f-35s/

[AFreeBird]

No doubt.

Kinda miss him being around.

[alloysteel]

WE COULD return to much heavier reliance on that trusty workhorse, the A-10 Thunderbolt “Warthog”, without a doubt one of the best ground-support aircraft now on active duty with the US Military.

First thing - make these A-10’s available to both the Marines and Army Air, replacing helicopter gunships for many applications. Coming in at just above treetop at 400 mph or so, the cannon mounted in the nose of these flying tanks can take out armor a quarter of a mile distant with a laser-aimed burst of maybe one or two seconds, launch an air-to-surface missile from 6 K’s out, sweep around and lay down a string of “smart bombs”, and should the worst happen and they are hit with ground fire or even a MANPAD, the airframe can still limp home, even with extreme damage to control surfaces, and loss of an engine, with the redundancy built into them.

[patro]

Ah yes. My favorite military satire news site. They post some pretty funny stuff.

[patro]

Replacing Marine Corps attack helicopters? Not a good idea. Cobras and Hueys are an essential part of the Air Combat Element of the MAGTF. The A10 could compliment the ACE though.

[Kickass Conservative]

I wonder how much the F-15E Silent Eagle costs compared to the F-35? Proven Airframe, some Stealth capability, Fast and a Killer. I wonder if they could put those Supercruise Engines in it like the F-22 has?

Oh yeah, bring back the F-14 Tomcat so the Navy won’t feel left out.

Since they have already built some F-35’s, simplify and convert them all to the Marine VTOL version. It’s better than the Harrier in that regard.

While we’re at it, build a new A-10 and take it away from the Air Force. The Marines should have that as well.

Pontificating, it’s a gift. LOL

[Kickass Conservative]

I forgot, build a few hundred more F-22’s.

500 total seems like a nice round number, but I’ll take 400 if it saves enough money for the rest of my List.

[Chode]

me too...

[LifePath]

LOL, that DuffleBlog site is one of the funniest I have ever seen!

Thanks for the links!