Popular Mechanics: The F-35 Program Is About To Start Pivotal Testing To Prove Its Worth
The testing isn't "do or die" so much as it is "do, or be terribly embarrassed."
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is set to enter a round of testing to determine if the jet is indeed ready for action worldwide. The highly anticipated initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) tests will start in November 2018 and conclude in July 2019. A bad showing by the F-35 won’t cancel the program, but it would keep the jets expensive, and increasingly complicated, in the short term.
The Pentagon-mandated IOT&E tests will put several F-35s through their paces to determine if the plane is mature enough for mass production. The tests will cover the gamut of the F-35’s capabilities, from operating in cold weather to carrier operations and even simulated combat missions. The testing is designed to assure customers that the jet has overcome the many problems it’s faced over the past decade and is indeed ready for prime time.
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WNU editor: Regardless of what happens, the F-35 program will not be cancelled. But if it does NOT meet expectations in these tests, expect even more money to be pored into the F-35 program to make it work.
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