(Franco Iacch)
08/25/16

"15 capacities of 3F software are unresolved or present deficiencies that are not ready for the test."

A week after the certification of the Initial Operational Capacity for the Air Force, Michael Gilmore, director of the Department of Defense for operational tests, has drawn up a new report on the real F-35 capabilities sent to the Secretary of the Air Force, Deborah James Lee, the general David Goldfein, head of the personnel department and Frank Kendall, the Pentagon responsible for acquisitions. What emerges is a picture very different from that in the past few hours was published by the military (v.articolo).

Gilmore writes: "The significant deficiencies found during the tests made in 2015, requiring precise changes. In all three F-35 variants of penalty measures it is necessary an inaccurate operation ".

"The program is not directed towards success, but on a path that will fail to guarantee the full capabilities of the airplane on schedule. The achievement of the full combat capability for the Joint Strike Fighter is a substantial risk. Current estimates for the reaching the final combat capability, they are not realistic. "

It will be a problem that will inherit the next president and the secretary of defense. The next US administration, in fact, will have to give in 2019 the green light to large-scale production of the F-35, signing with Lockheed Martin the most expensive program in US history.

Gilmore continues: "The Air Force has certified the Initial Operational Capacity on August 2 last year, but most of the previously identified with the software limitations, data fusion, electronic warfare and weapons management continue. The program is running out of time and money to complete flight testing in the estimated timing and implement the necessary corrections and changes. The flight tests continue to make progress, but not at the pace we had hoped. The most complex software functionalities have added other problems that require fixing and testing. Problems that continue to unfold at a remarkable pace. "

"F-35 in combat? Never alone "

"The F-35 deployed in the world next year? Only if it supported by aircraft of the previous generation because of its shortcomings in performance and its limited offensive capabilities. The F-35 could be used in combat, today, to provide support in identifying and preventing modern threats and acquire goals. "

Joe Dellavedova, spokesman for the F-35 to the Department of Defense, he dryly replied by saying that "there are absolutely no surprises in the memorandum, all these elements are well known and will be solved."

(Photo: U.S. DoD)

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I did not streamline this text, except of few first lines, because that would be loss of my time.

IZAKOVIC