Report: F-35 Delay to Harm U.S. Warfighting Ability

[unhappycamper]

http://freebeacon.com/national-security/report-f-35-delay-to-harm-u-s-warfighting-ability/



Costs skyrocketing as reliability plunges

Report: F-35 Delay to Harm U.S. Warfighting Ability
BY: Adam Kredo Follow @Kredo0
March 27, 2014 8:59 am

A major delay in the shipment of new F-35 fighter jets is expected to diminish U.S. “warfighting capabilities” across the globe and force the Pentagon to significantly boost funding for the plane at a time when military leaders say they cannot afford to, according to a new government report.

Delivery of the plane could be deferred “by as much as 13 months,” leading the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to warn that “delays of this magnitude will likely limit the warfighting capabilities that are delivered to support the military services’ initial operational capabilities,” according to the report.

The F-35 manufacturers are reportedly running into major problems completing and testing “critical software” that allows the jet to properly operate.

The problems will not just deprive the Pentagon of the plane, but force it to “increase funds steeply over the next 5 years and sustain an average of $12.6 billion per year through 2037” and about $15 billion over the next several years.

[bemildred]

1. In war, cheaper is often better.

Large expensive weapons systems create large expensive holes in your order of battle when they are blown up or "in maintenance". And nowadays, anything can be blown up.