The Pentagon may restore safety equipment on Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 fighter after an analysis found that removing the gear to save weight made the jets more vulnerable to enemy fire.The equipment, removed in 2008, weighs about 43 pounds (20 kilograms.) It includes a two-pound valve intended to shut off the flow of a flammable liquid.
Computer analysis last year of the pared-down F-35 design determined that the aircraft’s vulnerability to fires ignited by enemy bullets or missile fragments increased 25 percent over a 2008 assessment before the equipment’s removal, according to data from the Pentagon’s weapons testing office.
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Descoping the crazy list of requirements the only way to recover the program it cant satisfy conflicting needs: replace a10, vstol, low observability, agility, affordability. It is like to try to square the circle!
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