Pentagon report cites "lack of maturity" of Lockheed F-35 jet

[unhappycamper]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/13/us-lockheed-fighter-idUSBRE90C00D20130113

Pentagon report cites "lack of maturity" of Lockheed F-35 jet
By Andrea Shalal-Esa
WASHINGTON | Sun Jan 13, 2013 1:59am EST

(Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp's's new F-35 fighter jet has completed over a third of its planned flight tests, but it Still faces problems with the helmet needed to fly the plane, software development and weapons integration, according to a report by the Pentagon's chief weapons tester.

The 18-page report, sent to Congress on Friday, included a detailed account of those issues and others, which it said underscored the "lack of maturity" of the $396 billion weapons program, the Pentagon's most expensive ever.

The program exceeded the number of flight tests and specific system tests planned for 2012 but lagged in some areas due to unresolved problems and newly discovered issues, the report said. It said Lockheed did not accomplish all the tests planned for 2012, but boosted the year's total of specific tests by bringing forward some evaluations planned in later years.

~snip~

The plane's stealthy coatings - which make it nearly invisible to enemy radars - were also peeling off on horizontal tail surfaces due to higher-than-expected temperatures during high-speed, high-altitude flights, the report said.



unhappycamper comment: Is it too late to put this POS up for the Golden Fleece award??

By the way that helmet they are referring to in paragraph one costs $250,000. And it, like the F-35, does not work as advertised.