Flaws in the F-35 Program
A report by the US DOD Inspector General finds hundreds of flaws in the program for the F-35 fighter intended for the US armed forces and the IDF. Aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin released its response to the report
Michael Kadichevski
| 22/02/2015
A report issued by the Inspector General of the US Department of Defense revealed that more than 363 findings identified more than 700 issues in the F-35 Lightning II advanced fighter program being developed by Lockheed Martin and its subcontractors.
According to the report, a quality assurance assessment carried out by the office of the Inspector General determined that "the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) oversight of Lockheed Martin was inadequate, and that the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) oversight of the contractors was ineffective."
The report further found that the issues found in the assessment "could adversely affect aircraft performance, reliability, maintainability, and ultimately program cost."
The advanced fighter is expected to replace existing fighters used by the US Navy, Air Force and Marines. The program is backed by the US and eight additional countries, including Israel, which paid nearly $10 billion and is expected to receive the first batch of fighters in 2016.
Lockheed Martin, the program's chief contractor, released a response to the report today (Wednesday), stating that 269 of the findings that the report pointed to were already repaired, with the rest currently being dealt with by the company and the contractors of the F-35 program. According to the company, the efforts to fix the flaws are expected to be concluded by April 2014.
In its response, Lockheed also stated that "the report is based on data from more than 16 months ago, and most of the findings it brought up that required a solution have been corrected. We are committed to delivering the F-35 fifth-generation fighter on time and within budget."
A report issued by the Inspector General of the US Department of Defense revealed that more than 363 findings identified more than 700 issues in the F-35 Lightning II advanced fighter program being developed by Lockheed Martin and its subcontractors.
According to the report, a quality assurance assessment carried out by the office of the Inspector General determined that "the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) oversight of Lockheed Martin was inadequate, and that the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) oversight of the contractors was ineffective."
The report further found that the issues found in the assessment "could adversely affect aircraft performance, reliability, maintainability, and ultimately program cost."
The advanced fighter is expected to replace existing fighters used by the US Navy, Air Force and Marines. The program is backed by the US and eight additional countries, including Israel, which paid nearly $10 billion and is expected to receive the first batch of fighters in 2016.
Lockheed Martin, the program's chief contractor, released a response to the report today (Wednesday), stating that 269 of the findings that the report pointed to were already repaired, with the rest currently being dealt with by the company and the contractors of the F-35 program. According to the company, the efforts to fix the flaws are expected to be concluded by April 2014.
In its response, Lockheed also stated that "the report is based on data from more than 16 months ago, and most of the findings it brought up that required a solution have been corrected. We are committed to delivering the F-35 fifth-generation fighter on time and within budget."
