via Politico.
LOCKHEED HIRES MELODY CLARK CONSULTING: Defense giant Lockheed Martin has hiredMelody Clark Consulting to lobby for federal funding for the F-35 jet fighter, according to the latest Senate lobbying disclosures. The troubled F-35 program has faced major delays and cost overruns for years, and government estimates in 2013 pegged the program’s total cost at $400 billion — nearly twice what was expected when the program began.Absolutely Fucking Amazing!
The fighter was also targeted during sequestration talks in Congress, with several critical lawmakers slamming the program’s ballooning costs. Lockheed Martin is perennially one of the top spenders when it comes to lobbying the federal government. So far this year, the company has reported $10.6 million on lobbying efforts. It has a slew of outside lobbying firms on retainer including Podesta Group, Venable LLP, Van Scoyoc Associates and Capitol Counsel.
If the subject wasn't so serious I'd be laughing my ass off!
But the reality is stark. Its obvious that despite intense lobbying on the part of the USAF, USMC (leadership), allies, Lockheed Martin and the Program Office, the plane is being seen for what it is...A tremendous waste of money.
Despite what the fanboys have been saying it looks like the critics are gaining traction.
The plane needs to die. "Nuff said.
LockMart, thanks to its extensive PR program, and especially by Andrea Shalal at the Thomson-Reuters financial house, whose pro-LM scribblings get picked up by the financial press, is actually doing rather well.
ReplyDeleteThe company has demonstrated a pattern of positive earnings per share growth over the past two years, and LockMart's stock price is doing exceptionally well mostly because of PR according to investors dot com
"Top Dividend Stock Lockheed Thrives On F-35 Orders
Lockheed Martin's (NYSE:LMT) stock price and dividend have risen sharply this year amid strong global demand for its next-generation F-35 Lightning II fighter jet. Shares of the defense contractor are near an all-time high after climbing almost 28% this year, easily outpacing the S&P 500's increase of nearly 12%."
smoke and mirrors. i didn't post about it but the engine supplier to this program just had its CEO resign unexpectedly. something is going on behind the scenes. what? i have no idea but if you've been keeping up with the news then its obvious that the Pentagon is getting tired of LM, the plane still costs too much and something is about to give.
DeleteThey've been sitting on a major engine problem for five months now, since the catastrophe at Eglin on June 23. No fix in sight. This is the largest, most powerful and hottest engine ever put in a fighter plane, and they admit that it hasn't been tested properly. Fortunately the Eglin "mishap" happened on the runway preparing for takeoff.
DeleteThere are two major F35 engine design issues.
The root cause of the engine failure was probably excessive flex. Bennett Croswell, P&W president for military engines, said that “there’s more movement of the engine” within the F-35 airframe “than we thought when we designed it.”
The root cause of the plane destruction was lack of containment. Airworthiness certification criteria requires the applicant to "verify that any uncontained failure of an engine control or subsystem component with rotating parts does not adversely affect the continued safe operation of the air vehicle" according to MIL-HDBK/MIL-HDBK-0500-0599.
Apparently neither design problem is being fixed.
Also the engine health management system didn't work, and is not being fixed. Pratt: The F135 is the derivative of the proven F119-PW-100 engine, the technologically advanced turbofan engine exclusively powering the U.S. Air Force's F-22 Raptor. It features advanced prognostics and health management systems, and the engine is designed to significantly lower maintenance costs.
Zacks, Nov 26, 2014
DeleteUnited Technologies CEO Steps Down amid Engine Setbacks
In a move that shocked Wall Street, aerospace and building systems giant United Technologies Corporation (UTX - Analyst Report) announced that CEO Louis Chenever was retiring and current CFO Gregory Hayes will succeed him. While the company did not offer any reason behind the sudden change in positions, a company spokesman asserted that it was not related to financial performance.
The impromptu announcement comes as the company strives to boost growth across many of its key businesses. The company has been struggling in recent quarters as order growth remains weak and margins continue to disappoint.
United Technologies also suffered quite a few high-profile setbacks this year. In May, plane-maker Bombardier’s CSeries test flight program was grounded after one of Pratt & Whitney's new geared turbofan commercial engines failed.
An even more upsetting incident took place in June when the entire fleet of the Pentagon's new F-35 fighter planes was temporarily grounded following an engine blowout. Notably, Pratt & Whitney provides the sole engine for Lockheed Martin Corporation’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Fareed Zakaria in the WaPo today:
ReplyDelete"The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program alone is now around $160 billion over budget. In other words, the cost overruns on one weapons system are more than the total defense budgets of Britain and France combined."
Or in different terms, Canade expects to replace it's entire surface combatant fleet of 15 destroyers and frigates, plus build new patrol vessels and support ships for a total 30 year cost of $122 billion.
DeleteWhen a new Def Secretary comes into play he needs get is "Two Bobs" (aka Movie: Office Space) to sort out all the crap going on with LM and the whole F-35 Program.
Delete"What would you say, ....you do here"?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SoWNMNKNeM
The only Melody Clark I can find is --
ReplyDeleteMELODY CLARK CONSULTING LLC
4700 N CAPITAL OF TEXAS HWY APT 711,
AUSTIN, TX 78746
--which is not registered with the Texas Ethics Commission here.
Don, with all this juicy F-35 program info, you keep providing makes for more "shake your head" moments.
DeleteCanuck
Well hold your head up when you shake it, 'cuz Canada has had the good sense not to fall for this scam, yet. Did I mention that the F-35 hasn't undergone climatic testing yet? Well it;s early in the program. /s
Deletelol.. lack of research on Politico's part.
ReplyDeleteIn 2014 Boeing spent OVER $12 million on Lobbying.
https://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?id=D000000100
you're twisting the story and trying to muddy the waters. the fact remains that the company has hired a PR firm. full stop. no longer are they able to take care of things in house. now they need to get professional help.
Deletethat says alot. don't deny, just look at what you're seeing and drink it in.
Sol, these guys have had PR firms working for them since time immemorial, this is just the same old story part, dunno, 6 thousand or so? This is just getting another body on the bandwagon.
DeleteIt's like their "political contributions".
The F-35 may need more PR massaging than most, but it's hardly the only thing they use PR firms for.
Both Boeing and Lockheed have kept a majority of their respective PR activities in-house and both have hired outside PR firms. This is nothing new or illicit and Politico should be ashamed for painting it as an aberration.
DeleteI was not trying to "muddy the waters", but to add clarity and balance which Politico should have done in the first place.
That doesn't include the most important PR of all: Congressmen get campaign contributions and saying how they will provide jobs. Plus all the cushy retirement jobs for USAF & Marine Generals, Navy Admirals etc. Yea, I know that technically the ones in acquisition cant be hired but ... Lockheed also makes land vehicles, Ships, etc. for the military, and help fund who knows how many non-for profit "think tanks" who pay more than the military.
ReplyDeleteTexas Republican Mac Thornberry takes over as chairman of the House Armed Services Committee in January. Thornberry has received $162,500 from 10 F-35 contractors since 2011--Jan 22, 2014. Senior officials from Lockheed Martin, which boasts a large presence in Texas, including an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter assembly line at a factory in Fort Worth, have given his campaign committee the most, at nearly $66,000. Another $10,000 in donations came from the company's political action committee.
Delete“I believe the first job of the federal government is to defend the country. And if I’m going to spend money somewhere, I want it to be in Defense,” Thornberry told The Hill. Thornberry has received about $305,000 in donations from both corporate political action committees and individuals who list working at defense companies, making the sector his No. 1 contributor, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
House code of conduct rules prohibit a Member of the House from receiving outside compensation as a result of improper exercise of influence from the member's position in congress. Former Rep. William Jefferson from Louisiana learned that -- he went to prison for twelve years recently for soliciting and taking bribes. But of course Thornberry isn't corrupt and is not being bribed, is he.
This aircraft is just like the Transformers Movie Franchise. Kickass marketing, amazing global reach and distribution by a truly global enterprise, unlimited budget to make it, big expectations despite repeated disappointments except for the very first one where it looked like full of potential. And despite it being a bad or so-so product, people still want to que up and buy it.
ReplyDeleteChristopher Bogdan be the Michael Bay of the Airforce.
Michael Bay is also one of the primary employers of the F35.
Currently there is nothing better, ready for production, than F-35. Peacetime have ended, lets face it we are at the brink of a new war (lets hope just Cold War II), and 5th gen fighter needed in production here and now.
ReplyDelete23 years of peace (1991-2014) were used well. There is no need to mass produce combat aircrafts during peace times and you can fully divert resources to a developing of a new technologies instead. Now all that was successfully tested would be implemented and F-35 would enter mass production within months. I predict that toward the end of 2015 would be no less than 200-300 F-35 produced.
And expect Super F-35 ("Super" like in Super Hornet) with double engines and all blows and whistles announced in 2016-17 and rolled out no later than 2018.
If they produce the F35 the way it is right now it just wont do. Every aircraft from Mig21 onwards will be able to take it down.
DeleteThe PR firms know that you can't polish a turd. But you sure can paint it.
ReplyDeleteF-22 and F-35 Can’t Talk Stealthy Together
ReplyDeletehttp://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/release/159325/f_22-and-f_35-can%E2%80%99t-talk-stealthy-together.html
New Problem for F-35 As Simulators Can’t Be Networked
http://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/release/159370/new-problem-for-f_35-as-simulators-can%E2%80%99t-be-networked.html
The F-35 is going down. Its lack of performance and its high price will kill it. Actually, the F-35 won;t actually exist until 2019 when its development is scheduled to end, so there is plenty of time for the facts to down it.
ReplyDeletethis just in from USAF:
ReplyDeleteLUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. (AFNS) -- The 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron recently added a new fuel truck to its fleet designed to improve mission effectiveness and safety on the flightline.
However, it’s not really a new fuel truck, but an old fuel truck with its tank painted white.
What LRS Airmen once referred to as "Big Green," the “new” truck with a white fuel tank has been a little difficult for some to get used to; however, the change has a better purpose then just being aesthetically pleasing.
"We painted the refuelers white to reduce the temperature of fuel being delivered to the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter," said Senior Airman Jacob Hartman, a 56th LRS fuels distribution operator. "The F-35 has a fuel temperature threshold and may not function properly if the fuel temperature is too high, so after collaborating with other bases and receiving waiver approval from (the Air Education Training Command), we painted the tanks white."
Yes Don, that is one of the many "thermal issues" associated with stealth aircraft. Example, in the hot summer, put on a snowmobile suit, facemask, googles. gloves, boots and use a push-mower on your lawn. You can't put drain holes and air vents just anywhere on a stealth aircraft. And in the case of the F-35, with all of its heat producing systems, internal fuel is used as a heat-sink. Early test aircraft used chilled fuel until they got to a certain point in the program.
ReplyDelete