The active-duty 388th and Reserve 419th Fighter Wings conducted an F-35A Combat Power Exercise at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Jan. 6, 2020. The exercise, which was planned for months, demonstrated their ability to employ a large force of F-35As -- testing readiness in the areas of personnel accountability, aircraft generation, ground operations, flight operations, and combat capability against air and ground targets. (U.S. Air Force photo/R. Nial Bradshaw)
WASHINGTON ― The House Armed Services Committee chairman railed at the expensive F-35 Joint Strike Fighter on Friday, saying he wants to “stop throwing money down that particular rathole,” ― just days after the Air Force said it too is looking at other options.
“What does the F-35 give us? And is there a way to cut our losses? Is there a way to not keep spending that much money for such a low capability because, as you know, the sustainment costs are brutal,” Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., said a Brookings event.
Air Force officials recently said they are conducting a study to find the best mix of fighters including Lockheed Martin’s F-35, Boeing’s F-15EX and a replacement for the service’s oldest F-16s.
Smith was thinking along similar lines.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: Lockheed Martin defends the program .... Lockheed Martin defends value of F-35 as USAF programme under new pressure (Flight Global). But the problem for Lockheed Martin is that some in the US Air Force have lost faith in the F-35 .... The U.S. Air Force Just Admitted The F-35 Stealth Fighter Has Failed (Forbes).
More News On The U.S. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Wanting To End The F-35 Program
Stop Throwing Money Down F-35 'Rathole,' Top Lawmaker Says -- Military.com
Powerful lawmaker calls F-35 fighter jet a ‘rathole,’ suggests Pentagon should cut its losses -- Washington Post
