The F-35 Roars Into Action at its First International Airshow at Farnborough, UK

[bsteadman]

The F-35 Roars Into Action at Farnborough Airshow

[bsteadman]

The Air Force is close to declaring the controversial F-35 ready for combat

The Washington Post
by Christian Davenport
7/28/2016

Excerpt:

The Air Force is close to certifying that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is ready for combat, a declaration that would become one of the most significant milestones in the long and tortuous history of the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program ever.

After years of delays, cost overruns and controversy, top Pentagon officials could make the decision as early as next week, some 15 years after the program began.

In an interview, Gen. Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle, the head of the Air Force’s Air Combat Command, said the jet fighter would likely be declared combat ready “at the leading edge” of a time frame that begins Aug. 1. Once that happens, he said “they are ready to go.” Still, he said the program remains in its developmental stages, and that officials have continued to find and fix problems. The plane still still due for upgrades in its software in addition to other changes.

“I’m very, very confident it is going to continue to exceed our expectations,” he said. Declaring the plane’s “initial combat capability is just the beginning. We still have work to do on the airplane, and it will continue to get better.”
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View the complete article, including image, at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...dy-for-combat/