Software to Power F-35 Running as Much as 14 Months Late

[xchrom]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-29/software-to-power-f-35-running-as-much-as-14-months-late.html




Software for Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT)’s F-35 jet, the Pentagon’s costliest weapons system, may be as much as 14 months late for required flight testing, according to a Pentagon review.

The projected delay to September 2017 concerns the final version needed to provide full combat capability for Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps variants of the Joint Strike Fighter, the Defense Department found in the report mandated by Congress.

Software is crucial to delivering on the promised capabilities of the F-35, operating its advanced navigation, communications and targeting systems. Each plane will have more than 8 million lines of code once deployed, more than any previous U.S. or allied jet.

Cost estimates for the $398.6 billion F-35 program have climbed 71 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars since the Pentagon signed its initial contract with Lockheed in 2001, even as plans were adjusted to buy 409 fewer aircraft.

[hobbit709]

1. Another costly MIC boondoggle but we don't have money for what needs fixing.

[MannyGoldstein]

2. Software? If they're saying 14 months late today...

That really means they'll have something kinda reasonable to test 21 months late, that will require at least another two years of bug fixes.

[xchrom]

3. +1