February 23rd, 2013 at 7:46 am » Comments (16)

The Joint Strike Fighter continues to be the poster child for a poor Pentagon acquisition program: WASHINGTON – All Joint Strike Fighter operations have been suspended after an inspection revealed a cracked turbine blade in an engine at Edwards Air Force Base in California, officials said Friday. The blade has been sent to Pratt & Whitney’s Engine Facility in Connecticut for more tests, but all F-35s will remain on the ground until the investigation is finished and experts determine what caused the crack, according to the Joint Strike Fighter program
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May 13th, 2012 at 5:07 pm » Comments (23)

Here is another example of a massive Pentagon acquisition program that has gone well over budget and has not lived up to expectations: Every time the Pentagon budget is vulnerable to cuts, we hear about the huge risks that would ensue. Defense jobs would get cut, depressing the economy. American military technology would fall behind. Terrorists would get a free hand. China would sneak up on us. So with $55 billion due to be cut from the Pentagon’s budget next year, defenders of the military-industrial complex are once again warning of doom descending
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May 15th, 2010 at 2:31 am » Comments (18)

I mentioned earlier this week how some members in Congress and think tank types want to cut the pay and benefits of people who serve in the US military, yet here is a perfect example of what these Congress people don’t want to cut: The Pentagon doesn’t want an alternate engine for the F-35 fighter; they’ve tried to terminate the program since fiscal 2007. Congress has continued to fund the program over Pentagon and administration objections. Obama threatened a veto in 2009, but Congress still added more funds for an
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October 28th, 2009 at 4:40 pm » Comments (8)

Did anyone get to see the F-35 at the recent Seoul Air Show?: The Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35 Lightning II program is the only fighter program delivering 5th generation capabilities internationally, a Lockheed Martin executive said Tuesday at the Seoul Air Show. “The F-35′s 5th generation capabilities, including Very Low Observable stealth, integrated sensor fusion, net-enabled operations and advanced sustainment, make it the premiere fighter of the future,” said Stephen O’Bryan, vice president of F-35 Business Development and Customer Engagement. “The F-35 is the only multi-role fighter designed for
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March 2nd, 2009 at 12:56 pm » Comments (1)

The modernizing of the South Korean Navy would take another large step forward if they decide to purchase F-35B’s to stock their new aircraft carrier with: South Korea is looking at introducing the U.S. Lockheed Martin-built F-35B fighter variant, to fly from its 14,000-ton Dokdo large-deck landing ship, along with the F-35A air force version, as part of mid- and long-term force improvement plans, a source here said Sunday. The move comes as the country’s arms procurement agency, Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), is preparing to open the third-phase F-X
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