Joint Strike Fighter, Sammelthread Einstellungen

[Praetorian]

Da wir gar keinen eigenen Thread zum JSF hatten und das ganze Vorhaben aktuell sowohl finanziell als auch bei Exportentscheidungen vor wichtigen Entwicklungen steht, war ich der Meinung, wir könnten einen der allseits beliebten Sammelthreads gut gebrauchen

Da will ich auch gleich mal mit einem Beitrag von Bill Sweetman, Chefredakteur von Defense Technology International, bei Ares einsteigen, in dem er einen Blogbeitrag des berühmt-berüchtigten Loren Thompson genüsslich seziert. Und den ich viel zu gut finde, um ihm nur ausschnittsweise zu zitieren

1. The F-35 program is meeting or exceeding every one of its key performance parameters.
"Is projected to" might be better, since not one KPP has yet been demonstrated.

2. The testing program to date has uncovered no significant design defects or problems.
This would be unsurprising if it were true, since there hasn't been much testing, but if the thermal issues and problems with the ejection seat aren't significant, the flight control failure on AA-1 certainly is.

3. The designs for all three versions of the plane are complete, and all three have been built.
Nine years into the program, it would be nice to know that the designs are complete.

4. Weights, strengths and radar cross sections in early planes are matching planned goals.
The different variants are 2700-4800 pounds above the 2002 empty weight targets. (Yes, I have the program documents.)

5. Software reliability is 20 times better than on the F-22 fighter at the same stage of development.
Define "at the same stage of development". Nine years in? Six years ahead of IOC?

6. The production plan is only running six months late, and that lag will continue shrinking.
Delivery of all 12 aircraft to flight test centers will not now take place until February 2011 - six months later than predicted in September 2009, at which point they were already an average of six months late.

7. 16 of the 19 developmental aircraft have been delivered, with the rest arriving by June.
That is, if you define non-flying airframes as "aircraft" and aircraft that have not yet flown as "delivered" but most of us don't do these things.

8. The cost of each aircraft fell 50 percent between the first and fourth production lots.
As it should. That's called the learning curve.

9. Projected fleet prices for all three variants of F-35 have been stable for several years.
Exactly. What we found out on Thursday was that the projections were wrong.

10. 157 flight tests have been completed, with over 70% of planes ready to fly again after routine maintenance.
And the single Gripen NG has completed 117 flights in less time.

11. Over 80 percent of the development program has been completed, with excellent early test results.
What does this mean? How can any part of the development program be "completed" without flight tests on the airplane itself?

12. Despite the complexity of building three variants, the program is progressing better than previous fighter efforts.
There are people in St Louis who would disagree with this. And the F-22 was not six years late, despite being treated much more harshly by Congress than JSF has been so far.