Posted on 03/21/2012 7:41:38 PM PDT by U-238
Canada's government is nervously awaiting an Auditor General's report, which is expected to be highly critical of the F-35 fighter jet procurement program.
Some commentators have said that in the aftermath of the report, the government may retreat into a "wait and see" attitude on the project, gauging further developments both in the United States and abroad before making a final decision on purchasing the aircraft.
That process could take up to a year.
Cost overruns and technical delays have contributed to rising concern with the $382 billion Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter program.
The General Accounting Office estimates the cost of the F-35 at $137 million-$162 million apiece, far more than the $75 million price tag long maintained by the Canadian government.
Given the program's mounting problems, defense industry insiders in Ottawa expect the F-35 acquisition program will be replaced by an international competition for replacement fighter aircraft, The Montreal Gazette reported.
Well, you either want the best or not.
Could have saved a ton of money by going with the Super Hornet as a replacement for the F18 for now. Ten or fifteen years later, see where the F35 is. A lot of the RCAF work is arctic patrol, would be nice to have TWO engines while doing that.
The F-35 is a joke. Dump the whole project before it gets any more embarrassing.
I say continue with the project. Lockheed will have to meet deadlines to get the plane operational within a certain timeframe if funding is to be continued.
I am with the understanding the F-22 runs circles around it. I am also aware of a few troubles with the F-22 but think current production would overcome them.
Who’s going to buy F-35’s? It is just far to expensive and the single engine design and only semi stealth make it inferior to any future deployment. I don’t remember any military jet being so plagued with oversights and design flaw issues.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.