Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by Fnord666 on Sunday November 05 2017, @05:50PM   Printer-friendly
from the get-a-loaner-jet dept.

Submitted via IRC for takyon

The Pentagon is accelerating production of Lockheed Martin Corp.'s F-35 jet even though the planes already delivered are facing "significantly longer repair times" than planned because maintenance facilities are six years behind schedule, according to a draft audit.

The time to repair a part has averaged 172 days -- "twice the program's objective" -- the Government Accountability Office, Congress's watchdog agency, found. The shortages are "degrading readiness" because the fighter jets "were unable to fly about 22 percent of the time" from January through August for lack of needed parts.

[...] The F-35 program office and Lockheed have identified steps to increase parts availability "to prevent these challenges from worsening" as aircraft numbers increase, the GAO said, but Pentagon documentation indicates "the program's ability to speed up this time line is uncertain."

The GAO also disclosed that the F-35B -- the Marine Corps version of the fighter that's scheduled to begin ship deployments next year -- won't have required maintenance and repair capabilities at sea and "will likely experience degraded readiness."

Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-23/f-35s-hobbled-by-parts-shortages-slow-repairs-audit-finds


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 4, Touché) by leftover on Sunday November 05 2017, @08:25PM (1 child)

    by leftover (2448) on Sunday November 05 2017, @08:25PM (#592642)

    Now we have an entire branch of the military that has been captured by the airframe manufacturing hegemony. I am not up to date on the latest reinterpretations of bullshit political economics terms: is this "free market" or "capitalism"?

    --
    Bent, folded, spindled, and mutilated.
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +2  
       Touché=2, Total=2
    Extra 'Touché' Modifier   0  
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   4  
  • (Score: 3, Informative) by Arik on Monday November 06 2017, @03:25AM

    by Arik (4543) on Monday November 06 2017, @03:25AM (#592796) Journal
    "Now we have an entire branch of the military that has been captured by the airframe manufacturing hegemony. I am not up to date on the latest reinterpretations of bullshit political economics terms: is this "free market" or "capitalism"?"

    No, the word you are looking for is 'fascism.'
    --
    If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?