Pentagon considers scrapping costly F-35 jet program

[cali]

Washington - A Pentagon budget review reveals that the Pentagon is considering the cancellation of its $391.2 billion F-35 fighter jet program that already involves ten foreign countries

The documents were leaked but a briefing by Pentagon officials held recently laid out a number of ways that the Pentagon could cope with $500 billion in automatic budget cuts required over the next ten years. The slideshow showed the Pentagon was frustrated by the continued cost over-runs of the jet program.

US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said that the Pentagon might have to decide between a much smaller force or a decade-long holiday from modernizing its weapons systems and technology. Reuters reported that a decision to maintain a large military could result in terminating the $392 billion Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 program and also a new stealth long-range bomber.

The F-35 program is the most expensive weapons system ever. 2,443 aircraft are to be built. The price tag of $391.2 billion is already up 68 per cent from the original estimates in 2001. US Lieutenant General Christopher Bogdan lashed out a Lockheed Martin and Pratt and Whitney for overcharging the US government. Bogdan is the head of the US Joint Strike fighter program.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/355756#ixzz2aueA8gc2

[IDemo]

1. "What makes cancellation unlikely is that the program has plenty of supporters in Congress."

Who does the Pentagon think they are, anyway?

[ceonupe]

3. But but but but

Think about the jobs

Is what they will say.

But truth be told the military industrial complex does employ lots of people and those jobs equal political capital.

But bad programs even bad military programs need to be winded down and the funds shifted to other programs.

I say the same thing about failed social programs as well. Nothing worse than funding rural development centers for years with no results. (Talking about NC here)

[IDemo]

4. Yes, think about all the jobs

that could be created with an F-35 kind of expenditure:

[ceonupe]

5. I so agree that's why

These same military contractors will have business units that will do what u picture above.

They just have not finished buying up all the companies that try and fail for penny's on the dollar. Once the connect own the companies watch our government push these project like no ones business.

GE is already positioned well and watch lockeed Martin Boeing and all the rest get into this space very quickly.

But the problem is will these project really be built where they can help the most or just where they help the connected get even richer?

[DirkGently]

6. Now there's a thought ...

[leveymg]

2. Could happen. It wouldn't be the first time a weapons system was declared obsolete and abandoned.

The US basically abandoned the high-altitude penetrating bomber concept in the late 1950s in favor of ICBMs after the Russians developed effective air defense systems that made these things unsurvivable in the strategic bombing role.

The manned fighter and bomber are just on the cusp of being rendered obsolete by advances in robotics. No sense in wasting another trillion dollars on them.

[tammywammy]

7. On Tuesday it was reported that the Pentagon planned to buy 71 more F-35s

Lockheed, Pentagon set deal to buy full order of F-35 jets

Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) and the Pentagon on Tuesday said they reached an agreement for 71 more F-35 fighter jets, with lower pricing to allow the U.S. government to buy all the planes it had planned despite budget cuts.

The deal, which will become final over the next month, came as a Senate appropriations panel proposed limiting funding for a ramp-up in production of the radar-evading warplane in fiscal 2015 to ensure the plane's software and design are fully tested.

The agreement in principle covers 36 jets in a sixth batch, with each warplane to cost about 4 percent less than the previous lot, and 35 jets in a seventh batch, also at a 4 percent discount, Lockheed and the Pentagon's F-35 program office said in a statement.

The statement did not provide an overall value for the two contracts, but analysts say they will be worth over $7 billion (4 billion pounds).

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/07/30/uk-lockheed-fighter-idUKBRE96T16I20130730