F-35 is a JUNK, but you Bitch about Obamacare

[mrklean]

Washington (AFP) - The US military's bureaucratic watchdog on Monday accused companies building the F-35 fighter of shoddy management that could jeopardize the reliability, performance and cost of the aircraft.

The Pentagon inspector general cited 363 problems in the design and manufacture of the costly Joint Strike Fighter, the hi-tech warplane that is supposed to serve as the backbone of the future American fleet.

For the United States and eight other countries backing the project, the report raises fresh questions about the technology and ultimate price tag of the F-35, which has struggled with production delays and cost overruns.

The office that oversees the fighter project, the plane's primary manufacturer Lockheed Martin and five subcontractors failed to carry out rigorous "quality assurance" practices, the report said.

The failures "could adversely affect aircraft performance, reliability, maintainability,and ultimately program cost," according to the inspector general office's report.

A number of the shortcomings -- including how software is managed -- could possibly put safety at risk, it warned.

"Without adequate product evaluation of mission system software, Lockheed Martin cannot ensure aircraft safety requirements are met," it said.

Designed to replace fighters in the US Air Force, Navy and Marines and supported by a consortium of eight countries, the program is already the most expensive in US military history with a price tag of $395.7 billion.

Recent independent reviews have found the program has managed to rein in costs but the inspector general's findings suggested flawed production and design work could break the plane's budget in the future.

Officials have acknowledged the original concept for the F-35 was overly optimistic, as it called for starting production long before thorough flight tests were completed.

The idea, which the Pentagon calls "concurrency," was based on the flawed assumption that technical hurdles had been worked out in computer modeling.

Monday's report appeared to confirm warnings about "concurrency" and said the Pentagon and Lockheed have often failed to review the quality of the work from subcontractors.

But the subcontractors, Northrop Grumman, BAE, L-3 Communications, United Technologies Corp and Honeywell, also came in for criticism.

The inspector general's office faulted Honeywell for how it oversees the plane's life support oxygen system.

Honeywell's training efforts for employees working on the system were inadequate and changes were made to control software without checks by engineering and management departments, according to the report.

The F-35 program office called the inspector general's report "thorough" and "useful," but played down the findings.

In a statement, the office said most of the problems cited had already been identified by managers and that the report did not present "new or critical issues that affect the health of the program."

Out of 343 corrective actions recommended in the report, 269 had been carried out while a remaining 74 were underway, according to the program office.

[YoUDeeMan]

Thanks for the update, but not a lot of people would support the F-35 if they knew the cost. We need Donks that are educated enough to bring this to the public, but you probably won't find anyone interested enough to do that effectively.

However, smart people can correctly try to ban Obamacare AND the F-35.

No reason to support either loser idea.

[Ibanez]

Thanks for the update, but not a lot of people would support the F-35 if they knew the cost. We need Donks that are educated enough to bring this to the public, but you probably won't find anyone interested enough to do that effectively.

However, smart people can correctly try to ban Obamacare AND the F-35.

No reason to support either loser idea.

I agree. The F-35 has been a boondoggle since its inception.

[mrklean]

Thanks for the update, but not a lot of people would support the F-35 if they knew the cost. We need Donks that are educated enough to bring this to the public, but you probably won't find anyone interested enough to do that effectively.

However, smart people can correctly try to ban Obamacare AND the F-35.

No reason to support either loser idea.

I agree. The F-35 has been a boondoggle since its inception.

Like I said before, upgrade the F-16, 15 and 18's. Nothing can outmatch these aircraft.

[YoUDeeMan]

I agree. The F-35 has been a boondoggle since its inception.

Like I said before, upgrade the F-16, 15 and 18's. Nothing can outmatch these aircraft.

Good, then we agree. Cancel Obamacare and the F-35.

[DSUrocks07]

I agree. The F-35 has been a boondoggle since its inception.

Like I said before, upgrade the F-16, 15 and 18's. Nothing can outmatch these aircraft.

My favorite fighter jet

When I was a kid, all I wanted was to be a F-16 fighter pilot.

[mrklean]

They should also scrap the F-22 project as well. Damn thing cost too much.

[Ibanez]

Like I said before, upgrade the F-16, 15 and 18's. Nothing can outmatch these aircraft.

Good, then we agree. Cancel Obamacare and the F-35.

I hate when mrklean makes sense.

[Pwns]

Nothing new about wasteful military spending, but the F-35 can't blow up the health care system.

[Ibanez]

They should also scrap the F-22 project as well. Damn thing cost too much.

Here is the thing, and I used to work on the F-35 (on the software side), the technology is so advanced and the potential capabilities are so incredible. The overall idea was the the F-35 fleet would replace the F-16, A-10, F/A-18 (except the Super Hornet) and the AV-8B. Replacing 1 type of plane to replace 4 makes sense. Remember, the C-17 faced similar criticisms but look at them now, they are the workhorse of the military.

[YoUDeeMan]

Nothing new about wasteful military spending, but the F-35 can't blow up the health care system.

We need new targeting systems.

[YoUDeeMan]

They should also scrap the F-22 project as well. Damn thing cost too much.

Excellent...keep 'em coming!

So far we've agreed to scrap the F-22, the F-35, and Obamacare. Combine that with keeping the government shut down for another 6 months (sorry, 93, I'll buy your beers at the next home game) and we'll really start to see some improvements!

[ASUG8]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QV7dDSgbaQ0[/youtube]

[Ibanez]

Klean, did you know that we've began delivering the F-35 to buyers.

[Ibanez]

Estimates of Cost
F-35: Cost of development and procurement - $323B
F-22: $66.7B

[AZGrizFan]

I agree. The F-35 has been a boondoggle since its inception.

Like I said before, upgrade the F-16, 15 and 18's. Nothing can outmatch these aircraft.

The last F-15 rolled off the line in 1985. The last F-18C was produced in 2000. It's pretty fucking pathetic that we have pilots flying 30-year-old airframes.

[Grizalltheway]

Like I said before, upgrade the F-16, 15 and 18's. Nothing can outmatch these aircraft.

The last F-15 rolled off the line in 1985. The last F-18C was produced in 2000. It's pretty fucking pathetic that we have pilots flying 30-year-old airframes.

Yeah, it's too bad these private contractors can't get their shit together and produce a decent aircraft without bankrupting the US government.

[Ibanez]

The last F-15 rolled off the line in 1985. The last F-18C was produced in 2000. It's pretty fucking pathetic that we have pilots flying 30-year-old airframes.

Yeah, it's too bad these private contractors can't get their shit together and produce a decent aircraft without bankrupting the US government.

[mrklean]

Klean, did you know that we've began delivering the F-35 to buyers.

How many pilots will die during the test phase? Remember what the USMC went through when they first started flying the Jump Jet.

[mrklean]

Like I said before, upgrade the F-16, 15 and 18's. Nothing can outmatch these aircraft.

The last F-15 rolled off the line in 1985. The last F-18C was produced in 2000. It's pretty **** pathetic that we have pilots flying 30-year-old airframes.

Yes, but Jets are still good. Build more and update the software. Just because somethings old , does not make it a bad aircraft.

[mrklean]

The last F-15 rolled off the line in 1985. The last F-18C was produced in 2000. It's pretty **** pathetic that we have pilots flying 30-year-old airframes.

Yeah, it's too bad these private contractors can't get their **** together and produce a decent aircraft without bankrupting the US government.

AMEN TO THAT

[Ibanez]

Klean, did you know that we've began delivering the F-35 to buyers.

How many pilots will die during the test phase? Remember what the USMC went through when they first started flying the Jump Jet.

So far, I believe that number to be zero.

[Ibanez]

The last F-15 rolled off the line in 1985. The last F-18C was produced in 2000. It's pretty **** pathetic that we have pilots flying 30-year-old airframes.

Yes, but Jets are still good. Build more and update the software. Just because somethings old , does not make it a bad aircraft.

I agree however 30 plus years is a lot of wear and tear.

[mrklean]

Yes, but Jets are still good. Build more and update the software. Just because somethings old , does not make it a bad aircraft.

I agree however 30 plus years is a lot of wear and tear.

Then Build the F-15 G model. Keep em coming.

[mrklean]

How many pilots will die during the test phase? Remember what the USMC went through when they first started flying the Jump Jet.

So far, I believe that number to be zero.

Wrong from 1982-1988 it was 6.