Australian Ministry of Defense F-35 Info (Rather Shocking)....

Check out this tweet from https://twitter.com/JoedeBrig

From today's Australian audit of #F35 sustainment:
Australia "does not yet know the final purchase price of future Australian JSF aircraft, or their whole-of-life operating and support costs."
(story to follow)

— Giovanni de Briganti (@JoedeBrig) December 5, 2018

I consider this remarkable and not in a good way.  How can a program be so far along and allies that are buying the plane have no solid idea on costs to buy and sustainment?

The image everyone is trying to paint is that the F-35 has already crossed the finish line.

The reality is totally different.

Trump has called his own defense budget crazy and cuts are coming next year.  The USAF is talking about Turkey not getting their alotment of F-35's and that withdrawing them from the production base will have no adverse impacts.  Lastly we still haven't heard if the full 1700 plus jets for the USAF are still being programmed...or rather if they'll survive the continuing defense budget trainwreck (only God knows how much the B-21 is gobbling up funds right now).

Yeah.  The reality is that this program is still stuck in "shit's burg" and glowing press accounts can't change that fact.