Report: F-35 Cracks in Tests, Isn’t Reliable

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 01/29/2014 at 18:32 • Filed to: planelopnik

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The U.S. Defense Department's newest and most advanced fighter jet has cracked during testing and isn't yet reliable for combat operations, the Pentagon's top weapons tester said in new report.

The entire F-35 fleet was grounded last February after a crack was discovered in a turbine blade of an F-35A. While the order was subsequently lifted, more cracks have been discovered in other areas and variants of the Lockheed Martin Corp.-made plane, according to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! by J. Michael Gilmore, director of Operational Test and Evaluation.

Durability testing of the F-35A, the Air Force's version of the plane designed to take off and land on conventional runways, and the F-35B, the Marine Corps' model that can take off like a plane and land like a helicopter, revealed "significant findings" of cracking in engine mounts, fuselage stiffeners, and bulkhead and wing flanges, according to the document. A bulkhead actually severed at one point, it states.

"All of these discoveries will require mitigation plans and may include redesigning parts and additional weight," Gilmore wrote in the report.

The F-35C, the Navy's version of the plane designed to take off and land on aircraft carriers, has also had cracks in the floor of the avionics bay and power distribution center and, like the F-35B, in the so-called jack point stiffener, according to the document.

The hardware problems, along with ongoing delays in software development, among other issues, led Gilmore to conclude that the fifth-generation fighter jet's "overall suitability performance continues to be immature, and relies heavily on contractor support and workarounds unacceptable for combat operations."

He added, "Aircraft availability and measures of reliability and maintainability are all below program target values for the current stage of development."

The Joint Strike Fighter program is the Pentagon's most expensive acquisition effort, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! to cost $391 billion to develop and build 2,457 F-35 Lightning IIs. The single-engine jet is designed to replace such aircraft as the F-16, A-10, F/A-18 and AV-8B.

The Pentagon this year plans to spend $8.4 billion to buy 29 F-35s, including 19 for the Air Force, six for the Marine Corps, and four for the Navy. The funding includes $6.4 billion in procurement, $1.9 billion in research and development, and $187 million in spare parts. The department in fiscal 2015 wants to purchase 42 of the planes.

The Marine Corps had expected to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! of the aircraft in 2015, followed by the Air Force in 2016 and the Navy in 2019.

The Corps' schedule depends on using a more limited version of the software, known as Block 2B, designed for use with such precision-guided weapons as the AIM-120C Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, GBU-32/31 Joint Direct Attack Munition and GBU-12 Paveway II bomb.

The first operational flights, however, will probably be delayed because the aircraft's software won't be ready in time due to ongoing glitches, according to the report.

"Initial results with the new increment of Block 2B software indicate deficiencies still exist in fusion, radar, electronic warfare, navigation, EOTS [Electro-Optical Targeting System], Distributed Aperture System (DAS), Helmet-Mounted Display System (HMDS), and datalink," it states. "These deficiencies block the ability of the test team to complete baseline Block 2B test points, including weapons integration."

Lockheed has !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! to improve the software, and the Pentagon has assembled an !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! to study the issue.

Even so, the report touches on other problem areas.

The aircraft remains vulnerable to "ballistically-induced propellant fire from all combat threats," such as missile strikes, according to the document; its computer-based logistics system, the Autonomic Logistics Information System, or ALIS, was fielded with "significant deficiencies;" and the program has a "significant risk" of failing to mature modeling and simulation technology, known as the Verification System, or VSim, according to the document.

Via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Manuél Ferrari > ttyymmnn 01/29/2014 at 18:35

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So basically it's a Ferrari?

Awesome to be in but a PITA to maintain and not reliable enough to DD?

ab124 > Manuél Ferrari 01/29/2014 at 18:40

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Don't think it has spontaneously composted.

..yet.

JACU - I've got bonifides. > ttyymmnn 01/29/2014 at 18:41

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I'll refrain from making cracks about this boondoggle.

JACU - I've got bonifides. > ab124 01/29/2014 at 18:42

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A truly organic experience.

JustWaitingForAMate > JACU - I've got bonifides. 01/29/2014 at 18:43

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I bet they'd leave us breathless.

ab124 > JACU - I've got bonifides. 01/29/2014 at 18:44

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Haha Stupid iPhone autocorrect. **combusted.

JACU - I've got bonifides. > JustWaitingForAMate 01/29/2014 at 18:44

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That's the F22 that does that.

M54B30 > ttyymmnn 01/29/2014 at 18:48

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Ugh, these billions could've/should've been spent upgrading the F-15, F-16, A-10, F-22. This F-35 is becoming a bad joke and it'll be just like the F-22 - outdated the day it becomes operational.

Manuél Ferrari > ab124 01/29/2014 at 18:48

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don't worry I knew what you meant :)

JustWaitingForAMate > JACU - I've got bonifides. 01/29/2014 at 18:48

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I stand corrected, all these failures and issues just tend to blend into one.

ttyymmnn > ab124 01/29/2014 at 18:49

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I don't know. Maybe autocorrect knew exactly what it was doing.

Nighthawkwill7, Hoon Depot Manager > ttyymmnn 01/29/2014 at 18:50

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I guess you could say it's

puts on sunglasses

Not all that it's cracked up to be.

YEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHH

webmonkees > ttyymmnn 01/29/2014 at 18:55

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"It breaks often, only works when the manufacturer does some kludges, can't defend itself against anything, none of the systems work as designed, and, once all that's up in the air, prone to friendly fire."

Sounds like the deal of the century.

Is it sensitive to moisture?

Supreme Kiwi Zorro > M54B30 01/29/2014 at 18:56

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Ja , I agree. What's wrong with those old fighter jets that are still working today?

Brian, The Life of > ttyymmnn 01/29/2014 at 18:59

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How about we start working on our diplomatic arsenal first?

TwoFortified > ttyymmnn 01/29/2014 at 19:02

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DefenseTech.org doesn't seem to think its readership is familiar with the acronym "VTOL" I see...Though they were happy to throw around a bunch of less familiar ones at the end of the article. Odd.

(Yes, that was my primary takeaway from this article)

M54B30 > Supreme Kiwi Zorro 01/29/2014 at 19:05

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I get that they aren't as advanced as the F35 is, but shit. We've wasted a ton of money on this. A ton

I'm also in the camp that thinks this is designed for a war we will never see. Stealth is great, but the means don't justify the end in this project. Not when we can launch cruise missiles from miles away and never even see the battlefield. Hell, we can launch missiles from the US or a sub and be done with it. What are we worried about - a dogfight? Yeah, ok.

Today's battles have a big need for immediate close air support. This money should've gone towards A-10s and AC-130s.

Supreme Kiwi Zorro > M54B30 01/29/2014 at 19:39

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America just likes to find ways to waste money and blame it on the poor. The rest of the world just sits and watches as the economy continues collapsing.

Vee Ate Injun > ttyymmnn 01/29/2014 at 19:51

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is it this or the F22 where they couldn't (or still can't?) figure out why pilots were unexpectedly passing out?

yamahog > ttyymmnn 01/29/2014 at 20:00

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Once again glad my resume only has one year on that program.

ttyymmnn > Vee Ate Injun 01/29/2014 at 20:06

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That was the F-22. I think they got that figured out, but I'm not sure.

ttyymmnn > Vee Ate Injun 01/29/2014 at 21:17

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Air Force Confident F-22 Oxygen Riddle Solved

Vee Ate Injun > ttyymmnn 01/30/2014 at 00:13

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yowza, that must feel pretty messed up, like getting squeezed by a boa constrictor. thanks for posting this.

LoremIpsum010101 > ttyymmnn 01/30/2014 at 04:13

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The USAF should have just done what they did to the F-18 to the A-10; take a reliable, known platform, add smart upgrades to the aeros, engines, weapon systems, and software, and make the A-10B "Super-Warthog". Problem solved.

#You'reWelcomeAmerica

ab124 > ttyymmnn 01/30/2014 at 08:36

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haha. probably the only thing its good for now. Its so disappointing though. Amazing technology, great looks, amazing capabilities, and the worst reliability in the world. The "land rover of the air"?

moralderpitude > ttyymmnn 01/30/2014 at 11:47

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Speaking of Planelopnik, you should post something about how the Air Force uses the Pontiac G8 and Camero SS as chase cars for spyplanes.

ttyymmnn > moralderpitude 01/30/2014 at 11:53

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That's been posted numerous times, actually, on both Oppo (Planelopnik) and Jalopnik. It's bad ass!

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > TwoFortified 01/30/2014 at 13:20

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True, but the F-35B is really a STOVL design.