“The flight schedule is pretty flexible. We’ve got plenty of flexibility and time to make up for any testing delays.”
Just a reminder. Over 300 flight tests were supposed to happen in fiscal year 2009 which will be over in a month. We have for this FY over 30 flight tests. FY2010 is scheduled for over 1200 flight tests—plus the makeup work from FY2009. The following comments from the same article look like an attempt to minimize the importance of flight testing. “Lockheed officials say the flight tests are only part of the package of component testing and other steps being taken to develop and prove the F-35 technology and get the aircraft into production and service.”
It will be interesting to see what statements come from Gates after the dog and pony show.
The lack off progress is alarming. Not quite clear if theres like major problems or the so called glithes.
But realisticly speaking besides divine intervention they not gonne make the test shedule.
What this means for ioc and production shedules remains to be seen.
All this reminds me of the introducution of the F-16.
That had also a lot of problems before it was really operational and safe to fly. Lotsa planes were lost the first 10 years due to several problems. The F-35 not gonne have its test shedule completed before fy 2015 imo.
Vince
By ‘flexible’ they seem to mean the goal posts can be moved.
And Marine IOC will be declared successful with a handful of jets capable of flying around the traffic pattern…
Outsource the ‘flight testing’ to a consortium of joint-Indian and Chinese aviation program management offices??
Seriously, this is getting ridiculous. More dangerously unsustainable than previously estimated.