New challenges in the F35 fighter program:
"Recently unveiled slips in development schedule for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter means the jet’s initial operational capability date will likely be further delayed, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said today.
The Pentagon has added billions of dollars to the program and extended the development phase of the plane through 2016 while slowing purchases of the jet. All of this means a delay to the Air Force’s IOC date is “implied,” said Donley during an Air Force Association-sponsored breakfast in Arlington, Va.
The Air Force’s current IOC date for the jet is 2016, a target that was put in place following last years’ restructuring of the F-35 program.
The extended development of the F-35 also means the air service will continue with plans to extend the lives of of its F-16 fleet. The Air Force is figuring out how much of the fleet will be modernized, when and what kind of modifications will be done “rather than if” they should occur, said Donley."
John Reed Air
Should Canada look at purchasing some low time airframes in storage at the Davis Monthan Air Force Base outside Tucson, Arizona to ensure that our aging CF18 fleet stays capable until the CF 35 programs delivers its first aircraft?
You can find some F18"s on Google maps, they are covered in a tan desert coloured material.
They are located at the corner of Yuma Rd and Ramsgate Road....
Most of the aircraft at the facility can be re-certified to flying condition.
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