According to Inside Defense.com, the latest assessment by the Joint Estimate Team of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program has found the same cost and schedule problems it noted in last year’s review. (InsideDefense requires a subscription, but offers readers a limited trial run) The JSF program office disputed the earlier JET findings that predicted as much as a two-year slip in the schedule. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has emphasized the need to field the F-35, making it a centerpiece of his budget strategy that killed further production of the F-22. Commenting on the potential for the new JET review to find schedule problems, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters in August that the Pentagon could pump in additional dollars to bolster the program’s schedule.
In a pair of major contracts announced July 31, the Pentagon awarded a combined $7.8 billion for new missiles, including JASSM and AMRAAM.
