The fact? via Bloomberg News.
The Pentagon’s projected price tag of $391.2 billion for a fleet of 2,443 aircraft is up 68 percent from the projection in 2001, as measured in current dollars. The number of aircraft also is 409 fewer than called for in the original program.Read about issues with quality control here.
At that pricetag, I am already about to have one massive heart attack
ReplyDeletefrom the IG report:
ReplyDelete"The inspector general’s audit said the F-35 program office should modify its contracts to “include a quality escape clause, to ensure the government does not pay for nonconforming product."
That's rich -- not only are the 'sweetheart' contracts cost-plus, they are non quality-control tolerant. These quality problems are part of what the GAO determined in May when it "identified significant technical and structural concerns that, if not addressed, would substantially degrade the F-35’s capabilities and mission effectiveness."
What a concept! Don't pay for nonconforming product! . . .which they have been paying for. Good thing it doesn't cost much, er.....
also from the report:
ReplyDelete"..Pentagon’s projected price tag of $391.2 billion for a fleet of 2,443 aircraft.."
That's $160 million each, which is a lot of money to pay for an aircraft with 343 negative IG findings and significant technical and structural concerns, a plane which can't fly over 550 knots, nor exceed +18 deg angle of attack, nor maneuver more that -1 or +5 G's, or fly at night or in weather, and also there should be no rapid stick or rudder movements (from DOT&E report). Also no mid-air refueling or flying within 25 miles of lightning.
So pretty much LMC is the devil! Kinda of thinking the war by attrition model is the way to go. So pretty much 3 squadrons of F35's are more expensive than a Nimitz Class Carrier. Isn't that like wearing a $500 tie with a $100 suit? This mess is becoming tiresome and someone/people should go to jail for fraud, to include elected officials. Peace out and semper fi!
ReplyDeletenot the devil. the devils wife. an evil bitch.
DeleteGot to adjust for the fact that post 2008, the USD lost 25%+ of its face value. That carries over into costs.
ReplyDeleteServes them right for dragging out the program for as long as they did though. They were obviously trying to milk the project for as much as they could, as long as they could, then they got hit by the credit crunch and now have to deliver uphill. A lot of the technical faults I believe were media exaggerated but it is still an expensive plane, maybe too expensive. Performance wise, I'm not too worried about it, the design concept was for a stealth assassination plane firing BVR missiles, not a dogfighter. What might be more worrying is that the longer the program takes to get hardware out, the longer the enemy has to figure out anti-LO hardware and tactics. Time is not on LM's side and it's high time they figured it out.