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Congress isn’t real anxious to fork out more money for the F-35 project. Ever since the beginning, it’s been so far over budget that pundits say it burns money for fuel. We’re not getting enough bang for our buck either. The “Lightning” has a wide reputation as “a flying paperweight.” Surprisingly, Democrats are the ones screaming to pull the plug.
F-35 failed to meet promises
Describing our troubled F-35 Lighting fighter jet program as failing “to meet its promises,” lawmakers aren’t convinced they need to continue funding a whole new set of problems which come with the latest generation of the aircraft. Congress simply can’t accept that America has been so dumbed down that we can’t compete with our global adversaries.
We should be able to build military grade weapons that actually work in battle and do it for a reasonable cost. Apparently, that’s asking too much of the latest generation. Beyond-the-cutting-edge high tech is great in the testing lab but you need to get all the bugs worked out before the model goes into mass production.
The Hill is reporting that “two top Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee say they are having conversations about an amendment to the annual defense bill.”
Another F-35 crash.
The most expensive fighter jet program that will cost trillions of dollars over its lifetime.
Cash cow for US military contractors, but are rarely mission capable.
This one: F-35A Lightning II Multirole. Crashed in New Mexico right after takeoff. pic.twitter.com/7IqajVdAij
— S.L. Kanthan (@Kanthan2030) May 29, 2024
They want to “reduce the number” of F-35 aircraft “purchased by the Air Force for the next fiscal year.” At least we aren’t buying them from Boeing.
The same amendment came up at the most recent funding hearing, only to be blocked by the GOP. Adam Smith, the Democrat ranking member, fluffed it off as “just an initial setback.”
There are always a bunch of moving parts in appropriations bills and some of them are nothing but pork. Both sides of the congressional aisle fully comprehend that the F-35 issue needs to be revisited, separately.
Starting to feel the heat
“Every single member,” Smith declares, with a piece of the F-35 is “starting to feel the heat for a program that is not only way over budget, way over schedule, but still hasn’t produced the plane that we want.”
Republicans feel it, too. “The pressure is building.” The latest upgrade is giving everyone nightmares.
Smith’s amendment “aims to tackle the latest problems with the F-35 program, specifically Technology Refresh 3.” That’s a “hardware and software update for the fighter jet’s computer system intended for the newest models.” It comes with a $16.5 billion price tag.
Rep. Matt Gaetz dubbed the F-35 a "$100M paperweight," citing only 29% are mission-capable, with a whopping $1.85T sustainment cost in 2023. If we're facing these challenges, how are other countries managing the jets we've sold them? Is the F-35 program failing? #F35 #USAirforce pic.twitter.com/4LvPyx0zQj
— DissentWave (@WaveDissen69255) May 1, 2024
Embarrassingly, once the super-cool “Block 4” modernization patch is installed, the plane becomes a worthless brick and we’re modernized back to the stone age.
“Defense contractor Lockheed Martin has struggled to apply the new update, leading to an undisclosed number of F-35s sitting on the tarmac.” Maybe we should have bought them from Boeing.
Temporarily, even without Rep. Smith’s spending amendment, the DOD “canceled new orders of the F-35 while Lockheed works on the issues.“
