Crucial Combat Tests on F-35 Jets Slip 5 Months on Covid-19 Delay

Already delayed by Lockheed’s failure to deliver the combat simulation environment on time, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s operational evaluation is facing an additional delay of five months or more because of the Covid pandemic. (USAF photo)

A phase of rigorous combat testing meant to evaluate how well the next-generation F-35 jet will fare against sophisticated Russian, Chinese and Iranian air defense threats has slipped five more months due to Covid-19-related delays.

Versions of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 have flown hundreds of aerial exercises, deployed for overseas operations by the Marines and Air Force and attacked Taliban targets in Afghanistan. Despite all that, the $398 billion fighter program hasn’t been evaluated against the most stressing threats in simulators meant to replicate and then go beyond what’s likely to occur in real-world flying.

A one-month, 64-sortie simulator exercise will be the capstone of a testing regime required by law before Lockheed can proceed into a full-rate production phase and assure customers from South Korea to Poland that the plane is effective and can be maintained. It’s also a key hurdle to clear before the Pentagon can buy the bulk of the aircraft destined for the U.S. military.

The latest delay means the program won’t complete all its combat testing until year’s end. A decision to move the program into full-production -- the most important phase in the life of a weapons systems and typically the most lucrative for a contractor-- would probably be stalled beyond a March 2021 target. (end of excerpt)

Click here for the full story, on the Bloomberg website.

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