Lockheed defends F-35 program

[unhappycamper]

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/214585-lockheed-defends-f-35-program



Lockheed defends F-35 program
By Martin Matishak - 08/07/14 11:35 AM EDT

Lockheed Martin’s head of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program rejected on Thursday recent criticism of the costly, troubled project after it failed to make its air show debut.

In a brief, sharply-worded letter to The New York Times, Lorraine Martin chided the newspaper over an editorial that argued Defense Department officials should reassess the nearly $400 billion program and possibly explore buying more F-15, F-16 and F-18 fighter jets.

“Our responsibility is to provide the most advanced and affordable multirole fighter to our war fighters,” Martin wrote. “We have no intention of relenting in this critical pursuit, especially when the imperative of maintaining future air dominance cannot be accomplished by buying more fourth-generation aircraft, as your editorial imprudently suggests.”

~snip~

In addition, the military’s F-35 fleet has flown more than 18,000 hours, while 107 aircraft have been delivered, and aircraft’s price tag had dropped by 55 percent, she added.

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http://www.democraticunderground.com/11785030

According to Winslow Wheeler, a staffer at the Project On Government Oversight, each individual jet should cost between $148 million and $337 million in fiscal year 2015, with an average per-unit price of $178 million, DoDBuzz reports.

So the price has dropped 55 percent. Great!

How much do these things really cost?

[tech3149]

1. Great! Half off sale means we can buy twice the crap we don't need!

I commend and thank you and the others here that share these stories. I think most of us, somewhere deep down inside, or more consciously understand that he DOD wastes more money than nay part of government. What we don't know for fact is just how much.
These stories just help give a bit of perspective.