The Marines declared IOC for the F-35B STOVL variant in July 2015 – a full year ago – yet the aircraft has since done little more than attend air shows, while continuing to carry out the same training missions as before IOC.
At the time, Gen. Joseph Dunford, Commandant of the Marine Corps, said the first F-35B squadron was “capable of conducting Close Air Support, Offensive and Defensive Counter Air, Air Interdiction, Assault Support Escort and Armed Reconnaissance as part of a Marine Air Ground Task Force, or in support of the Joint Force,” but in 13 months is has done none of that.
The squadron of 10 F-35Bs was also said to be “ready for world-wide deployment;” but to date has flown only once to the UK to attend air shows where its in-flight displays were noticeably tame.
In other words, declaring IOC has made no discernible difference to F-35B operations, and that is why, despite martial declarations by Marine Corps and Pentagon officials, the “operationally capable” F-35Bs have not, to date, carried out any operational missions at all.
The reason is that, as we reported on May 13, the “Marines Declared F-35 IOC Despite Deficiencies That “Preclude Mission Readiness. ”
And this is why, ten months later, on May 12, 2016, the Pentagon was forced to award a specific contract “to procure 61 retrofit kits to correct deficiencies that preclude aircraft mission readiness” (Emphasis added—Ed.) “in support of the Marine F-35 Strike Fighter aircraft initial operating capabilities.”
It is worth noting that the contract is to be completed in January 2019, or practically three years of work, so these are not minor modifications by any stretch of the imagination.
In other words, the Marines declared IOC despite “deficiencies that preclude IOC.” This means that the IOC statement was at the very least misleading, and perhaps even worse, as it entailed a general officer making a statement that subsequently proved to be false.
There is also more than a whiff of suspicion that IOC was made despite known “aircraft deficiencies that preclude aircraft mission readiness,” because it is unthinkable that IOC would be declared with aircraft whose operationability had not been previously certified by the manufacturer and verified by the Joint Program Office.
It also is unthinkable that these deficiencies -- significant enough to “preclude” IOC -- could have gone undetected during the “five-day Operational Readiness Inspection, which concluded July 17,” and which the Marine Corps mentioned in its IOC statement.
So the inescapable conclusion is either that the IOC statement was knowingly false, or that the JPO, the Pentagon acquisition bureaucracy and the Marine Corps are so incompetent they did not spot deficiencies big enough the preclude IOC.
And, in this case, what can lead anyone to believe that they will be better at catching major deficiencies this time around?
In many countries, a public servant who knowingly makes a false statement is liable for punishment, but in this case the director of the F-35 Joint Program Office and the Pentagon’s Undersecretary for Acquisition are both still in place, while the Marine Corps Commandant who declared IOC was promoted to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
It is most fortunate for all involved that there have been so many stories about the F-35’s technical and operational deficiencies, and its stupendous cost overruns, that this particular aspect of its career has dissolved into the mass of negative reports.
But this is not reason enough for it to be overlooked.
On the contrary, it should encourage all parties involved to take a very close and very detailed look at the Air Force’s IOC declaration, that is expected any time between now and the end of the year.
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What was quite curious, and perhaps very revealing, about her remarks was the key metric by which she chose to express her optimism. When asked to provide an update on the F-35 program, Hewson responded, “the Marine Corps declared their IOC [initial operational capability] last year; they are combat ready. The U.S. Air Force will declare this year, followed by the Navy in 2018.”
The casual observer will be forgiven for not catching the subtle reveal in her statement. Notice she said the Air Force will declare IOC this year, followed by the Navy two years later.
Declaring a system ready for combat, or IOC, is hardly a simple matter of putting a date on a calendar. A new weapon system has to achieve the minimum performance criteria. In the case of the Air Force’s F-35A, IOC will occur when “the first operational squadron is equipped with 12-24 aircraft, and Airmen are trained, manned, and equipped to conduct basic Close Air Support (CAS), Interdiction, and limited Suppression and Destruction of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD/DEAD) operations in a contested environment.”
POGO has reported extensively on why the impending Air Force IOC declaration will be nothing more than a public relations stunt. The top Pentagon weapons tester reported earlier this year that the version the Marine Corps used for its F-35 IOC declaration would have to “avoid threat engagement” and require rescuing from other aircraft should it encounter an enemy plane. Since the Air Force’s version only has a new computer and no new capabilities, the situation will be much the same.
Should the Air Force make the anticipated IOC announcement in the next few weeks as expected, “initial” will certainly be the operative word with regard to the plane’s combat utility. The planes to be used for such purposes will operate with the 3i software version. The planes with this configuration are capable of carrying a very limited weapons load both in terms of type and quantity. It can carry only two air to air missiles and a few bombs which it will only be capable of employing in a limited “employment envelope.”
The F-35 program has done little to prove its worth to the American people, who are stuck paying the bill for this, the most expensive acquisitions program in history. For the CEO of Lockheed Martin to treat this very important milestone in the program as little more than a formality—or worse, a foregone conclusion—is shameful.
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from Defense Aerospace - Press releases http://ift.tt/2a1TTVg
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