“During a late August 2013 inspection of the F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) ground article used for durability testing, two minor cracks were identified in one of the ground article’s four primary wing carry-through bulkheads,” an Oct. 10 JPO statement said.
Although the announcement led to worldwide headlines and raised the volume on opponents’ demands to cancel the program, the JPO also noted the aircraft in question, used to test the platform far beyond operational stress, had accumulated more than 9,400 hours of equivalent flight time – roughly 17 years of operational use. The program calls for a production aircraft life cycle of 8,000 flight hours per aircraft.
“Because of the high hours accumulated on this test article, this discovery does not affect current F-35B flying operations, nor is it expected to impact the U.S. Marine Corps’ ability to meet its initial operating capability (IOC) in 2015,” according to a joint JPO/Lockheed Martin announcement.
“Because of the high hours accumulated on this test article, this discovery does not affect current F-35B flying operations, nor is it expected to impact the U.S. Marine Corps’ ability to meet its initial operating capability (IOC) in 2015,” according to a joint JPO/Lockheed Martin announcement.
At the annual Air Force Association Air & Space Conference on Sept. 17, Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, the program executive officer, identified software as the biggest risk to the F-35 program, including those involving the aircraft’s integrated helmet and its display systems. Delays in that advanced helmet had led to a contract to develop a more traditional alternative helmet, but that was canceled on Oct. 10, as part of a cost-reduction effort.
An AV-8B Harrier assigned to the Air Combat Element of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) performs a vertical landing on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer, June 16, 2013. Boxer was conducting amphibious squadron and MEU integrated training. The F-35B Lightning II is planned to retain the Marine Corp’s STOVL capabilities while adding stealth, supersonic speed, and networked capabilities. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Mark El-Rayes
The overall program also took a public image – and potential future funding – hit in the Sept. 30 release of a Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General’s report, “Quality Assurance Assessment of the F-35 Lightning II Program.” The report criticized Lockheed Martin and the JPO for failing to properly implement technical and quality management system requirements intended to prevent the fielding of nonconforming hardware and software. The report said those problems potentially could have adverse effects on F-35 performance, reliability, maintainability and, ultimately, program cost.
There was some good news for the Corps: In August, the F-35B conducted 95 vertical landings at sea – 40 percent more than expected – to put its sea test phase ahead of schedule, according to Assistant Deputy Commandant for Aviation Brig. Gen. Matthew Glavy. And on the last day of fiscal year 13, the Pentagon awarded two contracts for low-rate initial production (LRIP) of an additional 71 F-35s for the Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, and Air Force and the air forces of Australia, Italy, Norway, and the U.K.
While negative developments not only are common but, in some cases, deliberately sought on any new aircraft, those were just the latest additions to problems that led then-Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to put the F-35B on probation in 2011. Although that was lifted by his successor the following year, budget cuts, sequestration, the shaky status of international partner orders, etc., have kept the STOVL variant a primary target of F-35 opponents.