Difficulties in developing a working simulator for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter continue to delay the massively expensive and behind schedule project, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report on Monday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th April, 2022) Difficulties in developing a working simulator for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter continue to delay the massively expensive and behind schedule project, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report on Monday.
"Operational testing of the F-35 continues to be delayed - primarily by holdups in developing an aircraft simulator - even as (the Defense Department) goes forward with the purchase of up to 152 aircraft a year," the report said.
The more aircraft produced before testing is complete, the more it might cost to retrofit those aircraft if issues are discovered, the GAO cautioned.
"If (the Defense Department) moves forward as planned, it will have bought a third of all F-35s before determining that the aircraft is ready to move into the full-rate production phase," the report said.
The GAO noted that the overall cost of the F-35 program is now estimated at $1.7 trillion.
