Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said he’s sure there will be some “surprises” in the F-35 flight test program, but overall, he feels it’s safe to bet on the program’s success. “We’ve invested billions in risk reduction” on the F-35, Schwartz said. He continued, saying things always pop up in flight test, but he asked rhetorically: “Will there be something that puts the whole program in jeopardy? I don’t think so.” Many lessons were learned from the F-22, Schwartz said, and these have been vigorously applied to the F-35. Software was a huge pacing factor on the F-22, for example, but it’s being managed well on the F-35, removing a major element of risk. (Also see Eglin to Begin Initial F-35 Training, Production to Ramp Up)
After years of describing to lawmakers and Pentagon leaders the nature of that threat and the key role spacepower plays in deterring conflict in the domain and enabling the rest of the joint force, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman told reporters during AFA’s Warfare Symposium here that the message appears to…