F-35A At Red Flag: 90% Mission Capable; Key Systems Up Every Flight

F-35A At Red Flag: 90% Mission Capable; Key Systems Up Every Flight
F-35A At Red Flag: 90% Mission Capable; Key Systems Up Every Flight

WASHINGTON: All indications from the pilots and commanders at Red Flag are that the F-35A performed far better than recent reports from the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation seemed to indicate. [Read about F-35 combat performance at Red Flag 2017] The now-departed Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, Michael Gilmore, said the Lockheed Martin-built aircraft…

F-35 ‘Not Out Of Control’: F-35A Prices Drop 5.5%

F-35 ‘Not Out Of Control’: F-35A Prices Drop 5.5%
F-35 ‘Not Out Of Control’: F-35A Prices Drop 5.5%

ARLINGTON: One week after President-Elect Donald Trump tweeted that the cost of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter was “out of control,” the F-35 program office announced the price of most variants had dropped yet again. The contract for Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lot 9 will buy 57 aircraft, 34 for the US and 23…

McCain Lays Down Law On F-35 Bulk Buy; Kendall Says It Works

McCain Lays Down Law On F-35 Bulk Buy; Kendall Says It Works
McCain Lays Down Law On F-35 Bulk Buy; Kendall Says It Works

CORRECTS: State of Sen. Angus King To Maine. CAPITOL HILL: Sen. John McCain does not want the Pentagon to put together a so-called bulk buy of F-35s, decrying the program’s repeated failures over the last 15 years. McCain, citing his status as taxpayer watchdog, said during today’s Senate Armed Service Committee’s hearing on the F-35 that…

Operational Testers Flag F-35 Software Issues

Operational Testers Flag F-35 Software Issues
Operational Testers Flag F-35 Software Issues

WASHINGTON: The Pentagon’s director of Operational Test and Evaluation has raised serious concerns about the F-35 program’s ability to safely and effectively build and test the enormous amount of software used by both the F-35 aircraft and the maintenance and logistics system known as ALIS to keep the planes flying. In a previously unreported Dec.…

F-35 Operational Test and Evaluation Report; Marines Say No IOC Changes

F-35 Operational Test and Evaluation Report; Marines Say No IOC Changes
F-35 Operational Test and Evaluation Report; Marines Say No IOC Changes

UPDATED: Marine Commandant Lists Top 3 Concerns; Lockheed Commits to Software Delivery In Time For Marine IOC. Here it is, for everyone to ponder, the F-35 portion of the annual report from Michael Gilmore, director of the Pentagon’s Operational Test and Evaluation office. The only sort of public annual benchmark on the success or failure…

Harris Takes Aim At Army Radios: General Dynamics Apologizes To Army

[corrected Dennis Moran’s title at 3:45 pm] AUSA: General Dynamics issued what the Army’s top tester called a “mea culpa” over its troubled Manpack radio, while archrival Harris sharpened its knives to compete with GD for both the backpack-sized Manpack and the smaller Rifleman Radio. At a briefing for reporters at the Association of the…

Billions At Stake As Army Opens Competition For Rifleman Radio

WASHINGTON: The Army took a major step today towards opening up a major radio program to full and open competition, issuing a formal Request For Information today asking industry’s input on the Rifleman Radio program. [More on this story: Radio contractor General Dynamics apologizes to the Army] The hand-held Rifleman Radio and the backpack-sized Manpack…

Northrop Fixes Major Flaws In Navy Drone

Washington: The Navy has fixed the fatal flaws that put the future of its newest unmanned drone in jeopardy, and is now on track to get the aircraft into final testing by the end of this year. The FireScout unmanned aerial vehicle earned a scathing review by DoD’s test and evaluation shop during 2009 test…