F-22 Lessons Drive Faster F-35 Testing

[Thomas]

F-22 Lessons Drive Faster F-35 Testing
Aug 24, 2010
By Guy Norris
Edwards AFB, Calif.

F-22 Lessons Drive Faster F-35 Testing | AVIATION WEEK

"Flight-testing of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter here is running almost three times faster than expected, forcing program officials to accelerate follow-on support testing to keep pace."

 

[Tang0]

Eh, Everyone knew the CTOL version was not going to be a problem, given the demonstrated successes during prototyping and the F-22's testing. It is the SVTOL's out at Patuxent River that are the question mark. They are, by association, driving up the price of the CTOL export version dramatically. This despite the fact that the USMC would represent a very minor user of the aircraft with fewer than 200 purchases (Based on current F-18 and Harrier fleet size). Such is the way of politics.

 

[no_name]

Why not price the different configs of the F-35 separately? They do not have to be ready all at once.

 

[Tang0]

Why not price the different configs of the F-35 separately? They do not have to be ready all at once.

True, and I am sure they will be priced separately when sold. But the way that the US congress bundles funds means that the money for the SVTOL version comes out of the same pot as the conventional version. So, the R&D costs for both versions are linked. Delays for a single part of the program spell trouble for the entire program, and headaches for the partner nation. This could change depending on the pentagon/congressional politics, but at the moment, it appears unlikely that they well tell the USMC: "Hey, congrats, further development money for the F-35B comes out of your budget, time to sink or swim.."
The reasons for this are complex, many fold, and almost all political.
It has to do with a reversal of the USMC's traditional role of getting the trailings from the USN, into a more independent entity. This always happens when the US gets involved in bush wars. The USMC and US Army start getting more clout as compared to USN/USAF. The pendlum swings the opposite way in peacetime.