$400bn F-35 can only hit 'stationary or slow moving objects' new report reveals as military bosses claim fighter jet could battle ISIS in the Middle East 'in a few years'

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The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has been hailed as the 'most expensive weapon in history', costing $400bn. 

However, according to Aviation Week, the plane's laser targeting system has one slight flaw - it can only target stationary or slow moving objects.

'Despite being among the most technologically advanced low-observable warplanes on the planet, the Lockheed Martin F-35 has one significant shortcoming,' it wrote.

'The Joint Strike Fighter cannot strike moving ground targets using the targeting system and weapons loadout delivered in its final combat Lightning II configuration, Block 3F.'

The jet has gone through dozens of updates to its software, with the Block 3F being the most recent. 

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The controversial Joint Strike Fighter cannot strike moving ground targets using the targeting system of its latest update, it has been revealed. The issue means the aircraft is limited to striking fixed or slow-moving objects such as surface-to-air missiles 

The issue means the aircraft is limited to striking fixed or slow-moving objects such as surface-to-air missiles. 

Project officials are reportedly looking to speed up integration of a laser-guided bomb that has its own, built-in navigation software as a stopgap solution.

The Air Force last year declared the F-35 'ready for war', but the plane will not be able to use a full host of weapons and advanced sensors until it gets an upgraded software package, which could be several years away. 

Project officials are reportedly looking to speed up integration of a laser-guided bomb that has its own, built-in navigation software as a gapfiller.  

The first contract is expected to be awarded in the third quarter of fiscal year 2017, with deliveries of the initial order to begin no later than six months after the contract date.

'In response to an Air Combat Command (ACC) Quick Reaction Capability (QRC) requirement, the USAF is seeking a time sensitive, interim solution to add a 500 lb-class Precision Guided Munition (PGM) with moving and manoeuvring target capability that is mechanically, electrically, and logically compatible with F-35 Block 3F aircraft Operational Flight Program (OFP),' the request says.

'This munition must consistently impact moving targets traveling along a constant heading with a uniform velocity up to 70 mph and manoeuvring targets performing ±0.2 g manoeuvres with velocities up to 40 mph.' 

It comes as The U.S. Air Force is planning to send the F-35 to the Middle East to join the bombing campaign against Islamic State militants in 'a few years,' according to a top general. 

Service officials plan to deploy the stealthy jet first to Europe and the Pacific region, Gen. Herbert 'Hawk' Carlisle, the head of Air Combat Command, told the Defense Writers Group at a breakfast in Washington, according to Defence One.

'Clearly, it would be very valuable in the fight against ISIS,' Carlisle said. 

'I think it [the F-35] would aid significantly in knowing where everything is and what's going on in the battlespace,' Carlisle said.

Last year a Pentagon report warned the jet still has hundreds of faults - and won't be ready to even begin full combat testing until 2019.

The crucial 'Initial Operational Test and Evaluation' tests were scheduled for August.

The deadline represents the latest in a series of pushed-back delivery milestones.

'The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program Office (JPO) acknowledged in 2016 that schedule pressure exists for completing System Development and Demonstration (SDD) and starting Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) by August 2017, the planned date in JPO's Integrated Master Schedule,' the report says.

'In an effort to stay on schedule, JPO plans to reduce or truncate planned developmental testing (DT) in an effort to minimize delays and close out SDD as soon as possible. 

'However, even with this risky, schedule-driven approach, multiple problems and delays make it clear that the program will not be able to start IOT&E with full combat capability until late CY18 or early CY19, at the soonest.'  

The Pentagon's Office of Operational Testing and Evaluation says only half of its long list of concerns will be addressed before the major performance milestone.

'The Services have designated 276 deficiencies in combat performance as 'critical to correct' in Block 3F, but less than half of the critical deficiencies were addressed with attempted corrections in 3FR6'

But addressing even that reduced list is appearing rushed, it says. 

There are 'significant, well-documented deficiencies resulting in overall ineffective operational performance ... 'hundreds of which will not be adequately addressed with fixes and corrections verified with flight testing.' 

Key among them are fixing the 25mm cannon which vibrates excessively and the way it is targeted by the aircraft's 'virtual reality' helmet. 

THE PRESIDENT'S F-35 PRICE CUT

President Donald Trump claims his administration had been able to cut some $600 million from the latest U.S. deal to buy about 90 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, the Lockheed Martin aircraft the president has criticized for cost overruns.

Trump said Lockheed Martin had been responsive to his concerns about the high cost of the stealthy, high-tech warplane.

'We cut approximately $600 million off the F-35 fighter, and that only amounts to 90 planes out of close to 3,000 planes,' Trump said, attributing that figure to Lockheed chief executive Marillyn Hewson.

Negotiations for the 10th batch of F-35 aircraft - about 90 planes - have been under way, with a deal expected by the end of the month. 

The contract was expected to be around $9 billion, with the price per plane falling below $100 million.

Trump said he became involved in the discussions over the cost of the aircraft about a month ago when he was still president-elect because the negotiations were not progressing.

'They were having a lot of difficulty. There was no movement. And I was able to get $600 million approximately off those planes. 

Deal: Lockheed CEO Marillyn Hewson said after meeting with Trump: 'I certainly share his views that we need to get the best capability to our men and women in uniform.'

'So I think that was a great achievement,' Trump said, suggesting the savings would be even larger as more planes are bought and as the administration looks at other contracts.

'We will be savings billions and billions and billions of dollars on contracts,' Trump said.

The United States is expected to spend some $391 billion over 15 years to buy about 2,443 F-35 aircraft, which are being built in different versions for the Air Force, Navy and Marines. 

Trump has threatened and rebuked some of America's largest companies, creating a new business risk for those who have been or fear being targeted.

 

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Improvements in the internal diagnostics software — the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) have also been slow to emerge.

They lead a list including overheating, premature wear of componentsin the vertical tails and vulnerability to fire.

The aircraft's 'objectionable or unacceptable flying qualities' while crossing the sound barrier as yet has no plans for a fix.

'The current schedule-driven program plans to close out testing in 2017 do not include enough time to fix these key deficiencies, nor time to verify corrections in flight test,' it adds. 

'The program currently has 17 known and acknowledged failures to meet the contract specification requirements, all of which the program is reportedly planning to get relief from the SDD contract due to lack of time and funding.' 

Despite it's incomplete state, a partially operational squadron of the Marine Corps' F-35B was deployed to Japan last week.

The report did note some progress, such as the completion of important ship-integration tests and steps toward fixing a dangerous ejection seat.

However, most of chief tester Michael Gilmore's report focuses on what still needs to be done. 

Workers can be seen on the moving line and forward fuselage assembly areas for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter at Lockheed Martin Corp's factory located in Fort Worth, Texas

In a previous memo obtained by the Project On Government Oversight, Michael Gilmore, Director, Operational Test and Evaluation, warns that the Joint Strike Fighter Program Office is simply cut short the plane's development phase in order to pretend that schedule and cost goals are being met. 

'The purpose of this memorandum is to document my continuing concerns regarding progress in the -35 JSF program as you prepare to conduct the upcoming Defense Acquisition Board review,' the note says, according to War is boring.

It calls for the entire programme to be restructured so enough testing can be completed. 

'The primary concerns were that the program appeared to be prematurely ending System Development and Demonstration (SDD) and was not taking the necessary steps to be ready for which will be conducted using realistic combat missions fully consistent with our war plans and threat assessments.'  

The Marines be the first force to deploy the Lockheed Martin jet aboard the USS Wasp (pictured) next year, and will deploy a second contingent soon after, aboard the USS Essex.

Taking incompletely developed F-35s into combat will, Gilmore says, place pilots at 'significant risk.' 

'If the program continues with plans to close out SDD prematurely, it will carry the high risk of failing and having to repeat the approximately $300-million operational test, and failing for many years to provide the full combat capability Block 3F has long been meant and claimed to provide.

'Finally, the combination of unfnished SDD work and the likely follow-on Operational test would significantly delay, and increase the cost of, achieving the important capabilities which are urgently needed to counter current and emerging threats.

'I therefore recommend very strongly that the program be restructured now and provided the additional resources it clearly requires to deliver its long-planned and sorely needed full Block 3F combat capability.'

The Marines began moving 16 F-35Bs to Iwakuni Air Station in Japan earlier this month, it has been revealed.

The Marines will be the first force to deploy the Lockheed Martin jet aboard the USS Wasp next year, and will deploy a second contingent soon after, aboard the USS Essex.

HOW DOES IT COMPARE WITH ITS 1970S PREDECESSOR, THE F-16 JET?

 F-35

Role:  Stealth multirole fighter

First flight:  December 15, 2006

Unit cost (not including engine): 

F-35A - $98million

F-35B - $104million

F-35C - $116million 

Number built: 115 (as of November 2014) 

Length: 15.67m

Wingspan: 10.7m

Height: 4.33m

Max speed (F-35A): 1,930kph

Armament: 

One of the most highly-anticipated features of the F-35 armament is the Small Diameter Bomb II (SBD II).The bomb is able to guide towards its target using laser, imaging infrared or radar homing.

It can hit moving or stationary targets in any weather, or at night, with unprecedented reliability and accuracy.

The 'super weapon' is predicted to be the most versatile air-to-ground munition in the Pentagon's air combat inventory.

The cost per SDB II is said to be around $250,000 and the US military plans on buying as many as 17,000 of them.

 F-16

Role:  Multirole fighter

 First flight: January 20, 1974

Unit cost:

F-16A/B - $14.6million

F-16C/D - $18.8million 

Number built: 4,540+ 

Length: 15.06m

Wingspan: 9.96m

Height: 4.88m 

Max speed (F-16C): 2,120kph

Combat history: 

 The F-16 has served in the Air Forces of 26 nations, including the U.S., Israel, Egypt, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway.

During Operation Desert Storm, the 1991 assault on Iraq, F-16s flew over 13,000 operations, more than any other Coalition aircraft.

The U.S. has employed the F-16 in operations over the Balkans, Afghanistan and Libya.  

At its production peak in 1987, the F-16 team in Fort Worth was also making history, by producing 30 F-16s in just 30 days. 

Thanks to frequent upgrades improving and incorporating new technologies into the cockpit, avionics, sensors and weapons, the aircraft has become more reliable over its 40 years. 

The F-16 has served in the Air Forces of 26 nations, including the U.S., Israel, Egypt, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway.

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'We will learn from that, and see what capabilities we need to further develop,' said Marine Lt. Gen. Robert Walsh, the commanding general of the Marines' Combat Development Command, according toDefense One.

'A lot of it's going to be the school of hard knocks.'

The jets will deploy as part of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 in early 2017, a Marine spokeswoman said. 

At year's end, six of that squadron's planes will attach to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. 

Last year researchers revealed the hugely delayed and over budget project has finally fired its first shots in the air. The F-35A Lightning II completed the first three airborne gunfire bursts from its internal Gun Airborne Unit (GAU)-22/A 25mm Gatling gun system during a California test flight on October 30th 

Industry and U.S. defense officials say they are working hard to continue driving down the cost of the new warplanes to $85 million per plane by 2019, as well as the cost of operating them.

Senator John McCain, the Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said he welcomed the announcement but made clear he intended to keep a close eye on the hugely expensive program.

With a price tag of $400 billion for 2,457 planes, the fifth-generation fighter could finally be battle ready later this year, a new report claims.

'The Senate Armed Services Committee will continue to exercise rigorous oversight of the Joint Strike Fighter program's long-delayed System Development and Demonstration phase as well as the start of the operational test and evaluation phase,' McCain said in a statement. 

To become battle ready, at least a dozen individual F-35 must demonstrate their ability to drop bombs and shoot down other planes.

Each jet must be upgraded to a specific software package, and plugged into the complex logistics cloud that manages maintenance.

The F-35 project office had previously set an Aug. 1 target date. 

The project has been plagued with delays. 

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's record on cost, schedule and performance has been a scandal and a tragedy, Senator John McCain told senior Pentagon officials earlier this year.

McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the aircraft's development schedule has stretched to 15 years, deliveries of the F-35 have been delayed, and costs have skyrocketed.

'It's been a scandal and the cost overruns have been disgraceful,' McCain said.  

THE EJECTOR SEAT THAT COULD KILL 

Pilots under 136 pounds aren't allowed to fly any F-35 variant. Pilots under 165 pounds have a 1-in-4 chance of death and 100 percent chance of serious neck injury upon ejecting, according to the testing office.

'The testing showed that the ejection seat rotates backwards after ejection. 

This results in the pilot's neck becoming extended, as the head moves behind the shoulders in a 'chin up' position. 

When the parachute inflates and begins to extract the pilot from the seat (with great force), a 'whiplash' action occurs. 

The rotation of the seat and resulting extension of the neck are greater for lighter weight pilots,' the report states.

Sophisticated: Footage from ground testing of the F-35A stealth jet at Edwards Air Force Base in California, shows the awesome firepower of the four-barrel Gatling gun embedded in the left wing

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It is designed to support operations, mission planning and to spot any maintenance issues with the vehicle.

'Program officials said that if ALIS is not fully functional, the F-35 could not be operated as frequently as intended,' the report said.

'But a DoD commissioned plan found that schedule slippage and functionality problems with ALIS could lead to $20-100 billion in additional costs.' 

 So far, the software has been so flawed that maintenance crews have had to resort labour-intensive alternatives. 

According to National Interest, in one instance maintainers had to manually burn data onto CDs and to send the massive files across a civilian WiFi network.

One major problem, the report said, is that the F-35 data produced goes through a single main operating unit which has no back up.

'The F-35 is still in development, and this is the time when technical challenges are expected,' Lt. Genernal Chris Bogdon told CNN.

'However, we believe the combined government and industry team will resolve current issues and future discoveries,' he said.

Lead defense contractor for the plane, Lockheed Martin, insists development of the logistics software is on schedule.

'As ALIS development continues, our focus is on the warfighter and delivering the most effective, efficient fleet management system to sustain the F-35 over the next five decades of operations,' said Sharon Parsley, a spokeswoman for Lockheed Martin.

'The recommendations by the GAO are in line with the actions already underway in preparation for full-rate production and worldwide sustainment.'