Friday, January 31, 2014

More Problems For The F-35

The U.S. Navy variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the F-35C, conducts a test flight over the Chesapeake Bay. Lt. Cmdr. Eric "Magic" Buus flew the F-35C for two hours, checking instruments that will measure structural loads on the airframe during flight maneuvers. Wikipedia

Lockheed F-35 Develops Cracks, Pentagon’s Tester Finds -- Bloomberg

Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT)’s F-35 jet developed cracks in testing of the fighter’s durability and wasn’t sufficiently reliable in training flights last year, the Pentagon’s chief tester found.

On-ground testing of the Air Force and Marine Corps versions of the fighter revealed “significant findings” of cracks on five occasions in fuselage bulkheads, flanges, stiffeners and engine mounts “that will require mitigation plans and may include redesigning parts and additional weight,” according to an annual report on major weapons by Michael Gilmore, director of operational testing.

Read more ....

Update #1: New Tests Find Significant Cracking In The F-35 -- Business Insider/Military.com
Update #2: Cracks plague Lockheed Martin F-35 -- Washington Business Journal

My Comment: Not surprising .... many do not know what to believe anymore .... US hears conflicting accounts on Lockheed’s $400bn F-35 fighter -- Financial Times

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