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Wednesday, April 15, 2015

First version of F-35s will not outdo A-10 in battlefield capabilities

F-35B Lightning IIMarine Corps pilots of the first F-35 joint strike fighters scheduled to begin flying this summer will not be able to use night vision technology or carry more than four bombs and missiles, Defense Department officials testified in the House on Tuesday.

Overall, the first variant aircraft will have a range of lingering shortcomings when it goes into operation and will not be able to best the capabilities of the 1970’s era A-10 Thunderbolts it was designed to replace, according to Michael Gilmore, director of operational test and evaluation at the Defense Department.

The F-35 program began in 2001 and has since racked up nearly $400 billion in costs — one of the most expensive and troubled Defense Department acquisition programs.

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1 comment:

  1. Anonymous17/4/15 21:58

    Last time I checked, the Jarheads don't fly A-10's. What a crap load of journalism.

    ReplyDelete

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