Lockheed Martin rolled out the red carpet for US defense secretary Robert Gates and acquisition undersecretary Ashton Carter when they visited the F-35 assembly line today, says Amy Butler, live and on the spot in Fort Worth, Texas.
Gates and Carter (center), with Stevens and Heath (right) and F-35 production workers
In return for a guided tour of the factory from Lockheed Martin CEO Bob Stevens, Lockheed Aeronautics boss Ralph Heath and F-35 program general manager Dan Crowley - and a flypast by aircraft AA-1 - Gates restated his support for the F-35 ... and his opposition to a second engine.
Gates predicted the F-35 at peak production rate will be half the cost of an F-22. He added the program "seems to be on schedule for the first training squadron" in 2011. And he reiterated the Obama administration's threat to veto the 2010 defense budget if Congress funds the F136 alternate engine at the expense of the F-35 program.
"At this point we are trying to count every dollar" and can't afford the second engine, he said.
Gates' visit took place against a backdrop of continuing delays in flight testing the F-35. Aircraft BF-1, the first STOVL F-35B, should have returned to flight by now, but is back on the hover pit, says Amy. Chief test pilot Jon Beesley said new software is being installed and they hope to fly BF-1 later this week.
Bob Cox of the Fort Worth Star Telegram reports there have been several minor problems with BF-1's integrated power package, which is now to be replaced with the newer version already installed and working in BF-2. Cox says the plan is to get both BF-1 and BF-2 to NAS Paxutent River, Md., in September to begin STOVL powered-lift testing.
Gates and BF-3 (Photos: Lockheed Martin)
BF-3, the third STOVL test aircraft, was the backdrop to Gates' press conference at the Fort Worth factory, says Amy, and is scheduled to fly in October and ferry to Pax by year-end, by which time Lockheed expects to have six aircraft in flight test.
AA-1, meanwhile, is due to return to Edwards AFB, Calif., for low-speed arrestor-hook testing in advance of the first F-35C carrier variant flying around year-end. The A-model's lightweight hook, designed for only limited land-based use, will be used to gain early experience with arrested landings.
Q. Why aren't the people at Ft. Worth or Team JSF not beating down some of the false information floating around?
A. Because Gates appears to be an early and vocal supporter of the program.
I WAS worried that all the nay-sayers and "haters" might be gaining traction (it certainly appears that the popular position is to be in the anti camp) but all systems go, full speed ahead. Impressive. Despite some critics claims that the B-2 and F-22 received rough treatment, one thing is sure. The internet did not exist or was new and entire websites weren't devoted to their demise. By polling on the blogosphere it would seem that the popular vote would be to cancel the airplane. Good thing defense procurement and other matters concerning the military are not put up to a popular vote. I shudder at what our services would look like.
Critics would not be getting much traction if the F-35 program was actually doing what it was supposed to do, on time.
How many member nations have pulled out of the program?
How many other nations (Israel, Singapore, South Korea, Finland etc) that have publicly expressed interest in the aircraft have decided to look elsewhere?
The answer to both questions is precisely: none.
You can and seemingly will be as critical of the aircraft as you want, but the fact is, all the criticism in the world hasn't changed a thing about the program.
So again, what's this "traction" stuff you are supposed to be gaining?
And just for point of inquiry for clarification purpose.. this initial 'training sqdn' expected by 2011 would be technically a block II (or what is the official pre-block SDD-mature III designation)?
Thanks in advace.