Jul 20, 2020,01:10pm EDT
F-35 Is Performing Far Better Than Critics Would Have You Think
Dave Deptula
Capt. Andrew Olson, F-35 Heritage Flight Team Climbs Out U.S. Air Force Photo (Senior Airman Alexander Cook)
On Wednesday, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform is slated to hold a hearing: “F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: Ensuring Safety and Accountability in the Government’s Trillion Dollar Investment.†The portentous nature of the title implies the question, what is going on with this program? Given the money, time, and effort invested in this aircraft and its associated systems, expectations are for real results, not negative headlines and flight line setbacks. The reality is that the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, allies and partners all need this fifth-generation fighter to work as advertised. The requirements dictated by the global threat environment demand nothing less.
Given those stakes, the reality—according to those actually flying and employing it—is that the F-35 is tracking far better than the hearing title might suggest.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davedeptula/2020/07/20/f-35-problem-child-or-on-track-for-success/#2e3e131915d1
