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Insider: Panetta Expected to End F-35's Probation

January 20, 2012 RSS Feed Print

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is expected to remove a scarlet letter from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program today. Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates last year placed the Marine Corps' version of the Lockheed Martin-made jet on two years probation because of continued technical and design flaws.

[Pentagon to Provide Early Peek at Next Budget Plan.]

But in recent months, Lockheed officials have touted progress in correcting some lingering issues with the Marines' version, known as the F-35B.

"The Defense Department is clearly preparing to green-light the most challenging version of F-35," defense sector insider Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute told U.S. News & World Report late Thursday.

"Panetta may make the announcement as early as [Friday], when he visits Naval Air Station Patuxent River," said Thompson, who also is a consultant to defense firms.

[White House Denies Iran's Charge of Secret Obama Letter.]

Lockheed recently delivered the first two non-testing versions of the jump jet version to the Marine Corps, which is using them to train pilots.

If Panetta removes the probation tag, it will mean another victory for the F-35 program, the biggest Pentagon program ever at over $300 billion, in 2012. Last year, the program suffered more significant cost overruns and new delays.

Ending the probation period also could signal the F-35 will come out mostly intact even as Pentagon officials are enacting $350 billion in cuts over a decade.

Tags:
national security terrorism and the military,
Department of Defense,
foreign policy,
military

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another stupid mistake that could kill our marines in the battle field but i gues politican get bought buy loby money let the troublem slide member the V-22 same isued here, it can't fly right can't perform like the loops or hard twist and turn part in most today combat jets performance have to do plus it can't carry alot of weapons due to the way it structure where build, the way it build was not stealth neither not radar detection reduce signiture in it air intake and at it after burn too. If you looking at an F-22 and F-35 you see a different between them, i mean if u shoot a radar beam at it you could probaly dectect a F-35 faster than an F-22 because it shape object the way is build it isn't stealth enought, only one after burn also mean i could be slower to get out of the harm way after it drop it bomb, remember almost in all long conflict the numbers of F-16 have earn the reocord the most got shoot down in modern combat record of US fighter shoot down by it enemy in the enemy territory. While comepare to the Su-35, Su-37 it probaly won't win in the air battle over it air superiorty and will lost in big numbers according to some mock combat in some case that american offer other country come and watch our military exercise and using F-18 as Su-27, JSF or F-35 resuld are horible conclution by australian say blue force lost alot of it jets after the first waves and second waves of engagement it almost like turkey shoot that so that significant amount of jet lost so the conclution is not worthy to buy F-35, is cost so much to buy it performace isn't good so they ain't got get them instead they rather buy older generation with better equipt and upgrade on high tech and new weapons likely the F-18 new version

command and conquer general of CA 12:26PM January 24, 2012

This is the greatest lie perpetuated on the U.S. taxpayer -- one size, fits all.

Greg Parker of MO 3:09PM January 20, 2012

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