Is There Any Problems with The US F-35?

Pentagon leaders had expected 2020 to be a big year for the $1.727 trillion F-35 program. The long-anticipated full-rate production decision that would have allowed the F-35 to move beyond testing and development and into mass production was scheduled to be made by 2020. 

Coronavirus-related travel restrictions hindered some development fixes in 2020, but any such impacts were minor compared to the many long-standing issues with the program that predate the pandemic. As the F-35 enters its twentieth year, program officials have delayed the important full-rate production milestone indefinitely because the program still can’t complete the initial operational testing phase.

Weapon programs undergo operational testing to see if they are effective in combat and suitable for use in the hands of the troops. This is different from the developmental testing that engineers and developers conduct to determine whether the weapon meets the engineering specifications of the manufacturer’s contract. The difference between the two processes can roughly be compared to field and laboratory experimentation. In the case of the F-35, the developmental testing done to date has already revealed major shortcomings, but the most serious flaws emerged once the F-35 was in the hands of real operators in the field during operational testing.

The F35’s engine needs more time in maintenance than originally anticipated. The engines are developing heat-related cracks in the fan blades, resulting in the blades being changed out sooner. Lockheed Martin have had to find alternate sources for the parts, and they expect to straighten out the problem by 2022. But if they don’t, some experts think the Air Force could see 20 percent of its F35 fleet grounded by 2025


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