The F-35 still can't go supersonic without compromising its critical stealth tech, and the Pentagon is OK with that
Jared Keller
21 hours ago
The Navy and Marine Corps variants of the vaunted F-35 Joint Strike Fighter cannot maintain supersonic speeds without sustaining significant structural damage that compromises its stealth capabilities — and the Pentagon is reportedly just fine with that.
Defense News reports that the major deficiency — in which F-35B and F-35C variants experienced damage to their stealth coating after firing their afterburners — will go unaddressed by the F-35 Joint Program Office despite its risk of undermining the aircraft's critical stealth systems.
“This issue was closed on December 17, 2019 with no further actions and concurrence from the U.S. services,†the F-35 Joint Program Office told Defense News in a statement. "The [deficiency report] was closed under the category of ‘no plan to correct,’ which is used by the F-35 team when the operator value provided by a complete fix does not justify the estimated cost of that fix."
https://taskandpurpose.com/military-tech/f35-stealth-technology-deficiency
