Immanuel
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The Air Force analysis doesn't represent anything close to a final decision, according to spokeswoman Ann Stefanik. The potential reduction in aircraft was a "staff assessment on aircraft affordability. It's premature for the Air Force to consider buying fewer aircraft at this time," Stefanik said.Air Force risks losing third of F-35s if upkeep costs aren't cut
https://www.stripes.com/news/air-fo...-of-f-35s-if-upkeep-costs-aren-t-cut-1.519246
"The U.S. Air Force may have to cut purchases of Lockheed Martin's F-35 by a third if it can't reduce operations and support costs by as much as 38 percent over a decade, according to an internal analysis.
The shortfall would force the service to subtract 590 of the fighter jets from the 1,763 it plans to order, the Air Force office charged with evaluating the F-35's impact on operations and budgets said in an assessment obtained by Bloomberg News."
"The long-term support concerns are on top of current F-35 challenges including parts shortages, unavailable aircraft and technical issues that must be resolved as the program ends its 17-year development phase. In September, the F-35 is to begin as much as a year of rigorous combat testing that's required by law. Successful testing would trigger full-rate production, the most profitable phase for Lockheed, as soon as late 2019."
"Stephen Lovegrove, the U.K.'s No. 2 civilian defense official, told reporters Tuesday at a Defense Writers Group breakfast in Washington that although the F-35 "is doing everything we hoped it would do," his country also is grappling with the size and scope of the future support costs for a "very, very complicated platform."
Lovegrove, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Defence, said he'd be discussing the "slightly unknown territory" of long-term costs in meetings with F-35 program officials. The U.K. is buying 138 of the Marine Corps version of the F-35 designed to be flown off aircraft carriers.
"I am constantly being asked by parliamentarians in the U.K. what the total cost is going to be and they are sometimes, understandably, a bit frustrated when I have to tell them, 'At the moment nobody is entirely sure,'" Lovegrove said."
It was clear from the beginning. That plane is too costly (and the real costs are not the official ones, specially about sustainement). More SH18 and F15 (and maybe F16... oups F21) to be ordered.
Mark my words please
This is all the relevant part of the article, they have been trying to cut the program back for over a decade. There won't be any cuts not under Trump so that another 5.5 years of waiting for you.
