Military News
02-18-2010, 10:10 PM
02-18-2010 06:50 PM
ORLANDO, Fla. — The F-35 Lightning II fighter jet program might breach the Nunn-McCurdy limits on unit cost growth, said Air Force Gen. Norton Schwartz, the service’s chief of staff.
“I would say it is a possibility and maybe even [be] likely,” Schwartz told reporters at the Air Force Association’s air warfare symposium.
Schwartz did not say what changes might be in store for the program if it does breach the limits set in the Nunn-McCurdy statute.
A spokesman for JSF program leader Lockheed Martin said the company had not been informed of any breach and was working to keep costs down.
On Feb. 1, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced a dramatic reorganization of the JSF program that included extending the jet’s test schedule until 2015, shifting billions into F-35 testing, cutting procurement funds for the plane, withholding more than $600 million from JSF-maker Lockheed Martin and firing the Pentagon's F-35 program manager, Marine Corps Maj. Gen. David Heinz.
Earlier this week, Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn announced that the program would be one year behind schedule, despite the reorganization.
“The development was originally projected to last an additional 30 months; we think with the additional test aircraft, it will be closer to a delay of about 12 or 13 months, but I can’t give you the cost numbers,” The Australian newspaper quoted Lynn as saying during a Feb. 15 speech at a shipyard in South Australia.
Neither Schwartz nor Lynn said what this means for the F-35’s delivery schedule.
Just yesterday, Barbara Westgate, the Air Force’s deputy chief of staff for strategic plans, told reporters that the service would receive the jets “when we need them” despite the restructuring.
Right now, the Marine Corps is set to get its first operational F-35s in 2012; the Air Force will get them in 2013, and the Navy in 2014.
More... (http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/02/military_021810_jsf_breach_web/)
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ORLANDO, Fla. — The F-35 Lightning II fighter jet program might breach the Nunn-McCurdy limits on unit cost growth, said Air Force Gen. Norton Schwartz, the service’s chief of staff.
“I would say it is a possibility and maybe even [be] likely,” Schwartz told reporters at the Air Force Association’s air warfare symposium.
Schwartz did not say what changes might be in store for the program if it does breach the limits set in the Nunn-McCurdy statute.
A spokesman for JSF program leader Lockheed Martin said the company had not been informed of any breach and was working to keep costs down.
On Feb. 1, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced a dramatic reorganization of the JSF program that included extending the jet’s test schedule until 2015, shifting billions into F-35 testing, cutting procurement funds for the plane, withholding more than $600 million from JSF-maker Lockheed Martin and firing the Pentagon's F-35 program manager, Marine Corps Maj. Gen. David Heinz.
Earlier this week, Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn announced that the program would be one year behind schedule, despite the reorganization.
“The development was originally projected to last an additional 30 months; we think with the additional test aircraft, it will be closer to a delay of about 12 or 13 months, but I can’t give you the cost numbers,” The Australian newspaper quoted Lynn as saying during a Feb. 15 speech at a shipyard in South Australia.
Neither Schwartz nor Lynn said what this means for the F-35’s delivery schedule.
Just yesterday, Barbara Westgate, the Air Force’s deputy chief of staff for strategic plans, told reporters that the service would receive the jets “when we need them” despite the restructuring.
Right now, the Marine Corps is set to get its first operational F-35s in 2012; the Air Force will get them in 2013, and the Navy in 2014.
More... (http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/02/military_021810_jsf_breach_web/)
[Clicking on more will open up a popup box with the complete news story from the news source. MilitaryWoman.org is not responsible for content.]