Air Force Official: Despite Delay, Joint Strike Fighter Needs Will Be MetFebruary 24, 2010
 A senior U.S. Air Force official involved in procurement said that the service will be equipped with the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) jets in time to "have the required capabilities we need, when we need them." Barbara Westgate, the Air Force's deputy chief of staff for strategic plans, who spoke during a conference in Washington, D.C., said the Air Force would have enough F-35s despite the growing testing delays in the program, according to the Air Force Times. Her message comes on the heels of Defense Secretary Robert Gates' restructuring of the program, which involved cuts to the procurement funds and an extension of the test phase until 2015. Over the last week, Deputy Defense Secretary, Bill Lynn, said that even with the restructuring the F-35 program will likely be delayed by another year. Morris Cohen, a professor of operations and information management at Wharton, said the delays where inevitable. "JSF is a very ambitious program both in terms of its technology and its management. It is not surprising that delays occur along the way." Lockheed Martin, the lead contractor, and the Pentagon said the first batch of jets will be ready for delivery to the Marine Corps in 2012. Westgate said, however, that the Air Force is taking a different approach to the F-35's initial operational capability date compared to the other services, the Air Force Times reported. Still, Westgate added she could not specify how the restructuring would affect the Air Force's plan to purchase 80 F-35s annually. (Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, Also known as Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). AA-1shown in flight. (Lockheed Martin) (RELEASED) |
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