via
CBS News via the AP
FORT WORTH (AP) — A U.S. defense official says
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is giving fresh backing to the Marine
Corps’ version of the next-generation fighter jet, the F-35.
The F-35, which is developing Navy and Air Force variants, is the
Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program. It has faced delays and other
problems that raised doubts about its future.
During a visit Friday to a naval air station in Maryland, Panetta
will announce that the Marines’ version of the Fort Worth-built joint
strike fighter is no longer on what Panetta’s predecessor, Robert Gates,
called “probation.” That’s according to a U.S. defense official who
spoke on condition of anonymity in advance of the announcement.
Gates announced one year ago that if the Marines’ version of the
plane had not overcome its problems within two years he would attempt to
cancel it.
This is more about the partner nations than it is about the Marine Corps. Canada, the UK, Australia, Japan and others have been nervous about the airplane being canceled. This news should chill them out.
well this is good considering the C model is facing more problems, its so stupid they didnt think of how close the arrestor hook was to the landing gear in design phase.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a quaestion of 'not thinking' or 'stupid' on the designer's part. Arrestment gear design can be something of a black art, and each airplane design can present different challenges. By 'black art' I mean that until you take an actual airplane to actual arresting equipment, you can only model and do a 'best engineering judgement' (educated 'guess') as to how they are going to interact. If your system is functionally close to the design of a legacy system, your chances of modeling and guessing 'right' improve, but are not guaranteed.
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