U.S. Congressional Auditors Bombshell: F-35 Engines Are 'Unreliable'

The Pratt & Whitney engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is undergoing full power testing in West Palm Beach, Fla. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor. Pratt & Whitney

Bloomberg: F-35 Engines From United Technologies Called Unreliable

F-35 engines from United Technologies Corp. are proving so unreliable that U.S. plans to increase production of the fighter jet may be slowed, according to congressional auditors.

Data from flight tests evaluated by the Government Accountability Office show the reliability of engines from the company’s Pratt & Whitney unit is “very poor (less than half of what it should be) and has limited” progress for the F-35, the costliest U.S. weapons system, the watchdog agency said in a report sent to lawmakers this month.

The GAO cited the need to make design changes to the engines and then retrofit planes already built, along with continuing flaws in the plane’s software, in a report that warned the Defense Department’s “procurement plan may not be affordable.” The military plans to spend $391.1 billion for a fleet of 2,443 planes from prime contractor Lockheed Martin Corp.

WNU Editor: This is the F-35s biggest crisis so far .... if the engine is unreliable .... the plane is then unreliable. The story of the F-35 engine goes back years .... and this blog has covered it extensively ....

Alternate F-35 Engine Dropped From Senate Bill (July 24, 2009)
A Second F-35 Engine. To Build .... Or Not To Build. (May 21, 2010)
A New Engine For The F-35? (May 31, 2012)

This is why this story should make everyone angry. Critics at the time were pushing for a "second engine" manufacturer in case of problems like what today's auditor report reveals ... but they were all silenced ....and in the case of the second manufacturer (General Electric and Rolls-Royce) .... they were threatened. As to who is to blame for this disaster ... fortunately we know who the guilty parties are .... the Democrat Congress at the time because they wanted to save money .... and former US Sec. of Defense Gates who felt that it was a complete waste of money .... Gates urges Senate to kill funding for F-35 engine (Reuters).

More News On The U.S. Congressional Auditors report On The F-35 Engine

U.S. watchdog finds quality violations in Pratt work on F-35 engine -- Reuters
New Red Alert for Billions-Over-Budget F-35 Fighter -- Fiscal Times
IG faults management of F-35 engine program -- Air Force Times
The F-35 has run into one of its most significant problems yet -- Business Insider
DoD IG warns of cost growth potential from Pratt F135 mismanagement -- IHS Jane's 360
Federal watchdogs knock Pentagon, Pratt on F-35 engine -- CT Mirror
F-35 Engines Deemed Unreliable by Government Accountability Office -- Sputnik
But does it fly? Government auditors blast poor F-35 engine performance -- RT
Engine maker defends F-35 as investigators find even more problems -- Washington Post
Pratt And Whitney Denies US DoD IG Report On F135 Engine's Quality Control Violations -- Defense World
Pratt & Whitney Rebuts F-35 Engine Criticism -- WSJ
DoDIG Slams Pratt’s Work On F135 Engine: Report ‘Accurate’ But Doesn’t Tell Whole Story, Say JPO & Pratt -- Breaking Defense