As you know, the F-35 does not yet have its full combat
capabilities. Those were part of the
incremental Block software upgrades and should have happened years ago. Now, the Block 4 upgrade effort has been
delayed yet again.
Note the phrases,
“at the earliest”
“include fewer
capabilities than originally envisioned”
You know, beyond the slightest shadow of a doubt, that the
even the much delayed 2031 date will slip further still and the already
downgraded capabilities of the Block 4 will be further downgraded. Honestly, at the rate we’re going, Block 4
isn’t going to deliver much in the way of new capabilities, at all. Many features have already been deferred to a
nebulous, non-existent. Unfunded, future upgrade instead of the Block 4.
In addition, the Block 4 program is being reorganized, yet
again. GAO reports,
The cost for this pile of digital crap is stunning, even by Department of Defense standards.
Well over $16B and counting (with at least five more years of costs still to come!) and with next to nothing to show for it. I really don’t know how to apply any value-added analysis to that. People should be rotting in jail for this. Okay, I guess that was my value-added analysis.
On the off chance that you aren’t angry about this, yet, the
following should correct that.
So, we set up a contract with incentives and then paid the manufacturer incentives even after they failed to deliver aircraft on time. People should be rotting in jail for this. See? More value-added analysis.
This is exactly the kind of thing I had hoped that SecDef
Hegseth would address but he is disappointing me. Heads should be littering the halls of the
F-35 program. What is Hegseth doing with
his time?
_____________________________________
The Pentagon now anticipates the F-35’s Block 4 modernization won’t be complete until 2031 at the earliest, a five-year delay from its original timeline, even as the department rescopes the effort to include fewer capabilities than originally envisioned … [1]
Note the phrases,
According to program officials, the new Block 4 major subprogram will have fewer capabilities, will experience schedule delays, and will have unknown costs until the program office finishes developing its cost estimate.[1]
The cost for this pile of digital crap is stunning, even by Department of Defense standards.
An updated cost estimate for the Block 4 effort, which was $16.5 billion as of 2021, is expected “later in 2025,” according to the GAO.[1]
Well over $16B and counting (with at least five more years of costs still to come!) and with next to nothing to show for it. I really don’t know how to apply any value-added analysis to that. People should be rotting in jail for this. Okay, I guess that was my value-added analysis.
The F-35 program’s use of incentive fees has largely been ineffective at holding the contractors accountable to delivering engines and aircraft on time,” the GAO stated. “For lot 15 aircraft, where the program originally tied incentives to on-time delivery, the program gave the contractor a second chance to earn fees by redirecting those incentives to other aspects of the program when it was clear that Lockheed Martin would not deliver any aircraft on time.[1]
So, we set up a contract with incentives and then paid the manufacturer incentives even after they failed to deliver aircraft on time. People should be rotting in jail for this. See? More value-added analysis.
https://breakingdefense.com/2025/09/f-35-block-4-upgrade-delayed-until-at-least-2031-gao/
"What is Hegseth doing with his time?"
ReplyDeleteI think that Hegseth is a good choice for reinvigorating a war fighting mentality.
But I think a better person to straighten out these types of messes would be DeSantis with his experience with larger scale administration.
Maybe after his governor term is completed.
Lutefisk
"I think that Hegseth is a good choice for reinvigorating a war fighting mentality."
DeleteOne of the best ways to reinvigorate the warfighting mentality is to ruthlessly fire the people responsible for disastrous acquisition programs, terminate failed acquisition programs, and refocus our acquisition on worthwhile equipment. This, as much as anything will send the message to the rank and file that we are serious about warfighting. So far, Hegseth has left 99% of the previous known bad actors in place. What message is that sending? He should have fired 80% of the generals and admirals, terminated dozens of major acquisition programs, fired almost every program manager, fired half the colonels for being political animals, set new high standards for physical performance (he's offered lip service but no actual change that I'm aware of), enforced corrosion control on the Navy, etc. He's done almost none of those. Again, what message is he really sending? He spouts sound bites but he's not really doing much of anything as far as I can tell.
This post, alone, should be sufficient to terminate the F-35 program. We could have an entirely new, state of the art aircraft by 2031, following the methods I've described. We produced an operation F-14 in just a few years, as you'll recall !
DeleteCNO, reading your post there....I can't disagree with a single thing you just said.
DeleteLutefisk
"China's J-35"
ReplyDeleteThis is not a Chinese propaganda site. I encourage factual discussion of Chinese weapon systems but not blatant propaganda efforts that have no basis in fact. Stop trying to get these kinds of comments posted.