Key F-35 Simulation Delayed Due to Pandemic Written 19 August 2020
An F-35A Lightning II aircraft assigned to the 58th Fighter Squadron, 33rd Fighter Wing | U.S. Air Force photo by MSgt John Nimmo Sr. /Wikipedia
Bloomberg reports that “a phase of rigorous combat testing meant to evaluate how well the next-generation F-35 jet will fare against sophisticated Russian, Chinese and Iranian air defense threats has slipped five more months due to Covid-19-related delays.” A “one-month, 64-sortie simulator exercise will be the capstone of a testing regime required by law before Lockheed can proceed into a full-rate production phase and assure customers from South Korea to Poland that the plane is effective and can be maintained. It’s also a key hurdle to clear before the Pentagon can buy the bulk of the aircraft destined for the U.S. military.” Chief Pentagon tester Robert Behler said in November that the simulation would take place in July, but the “delay means the program won’t complete all its combat testing until year’s end.” A “decision to move the program into full-production...would probably be stalled beyond a March 2021 target.”
Full Story (Bloomberg)