F-35 program finishes years-late tests needed for full production
By Stephen Losey
Sep 29, 12:28 PM
WASHINGTON — The F-35 program has completed a long-delayed series of crucial tests, which could pave the way for a decision next year to officially move the advanced fighter jet into full-rate production.
The Joint Simulation Environment tests, known as “runs for score,” were finished Sept. 21, as was the initial trial validation, F-35 Joint Program Office spokesman Russell Goemaere said in an email to Defense News Friday.
The Pentagon’s Office of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation, will now analyze the data collected in the tests, which were conducted through much of September. DOT&E’s report on the F-35′s performance in the JSE tests could be delivered to Pentagon leaders by the end of December.
The Joint Simulation Environment’s 64 test trials at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland were designed to put all three versions of the F-35 through a variety of in-depth scenarios, similar to situations they would likely encounter in real-world combat.
https://www.militarytimes.com/air/2023/09/29/f-35-program-finishes-years-late-tests-needed-for-full-production/
