The real problem they have to fix on the F35

[bob10]

RELATED: EXTRA-LONG SUSTAINMENT CONTRACTS ARE LOCKHEED’S LATEST BID TO CUT F-35 COSTS (https://www.defenseone.com/business/2019/09/sustainment-contracts-lockheed-f-35-costs/159919/?oref=d1-related-article)

Its infancy has not been auspicious. A July 22 hearing of the House Oversight and Reform Committee highlighted various maintenance and logistics challenges (https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2020/06/23/house-committee-targets-lockheed-in-probe-of-f-35-parts-problems/): planned depots that have yet to stand up, an immature supply base, the once-touted, now-troubled Autonomic Logistic Information System, or ALIS, used to track and order parts.
It won’t matter how well the F-35 can penetrate enemy air defenses if the sorties can’t be generated. Moreover, flat budgets in the foreseeable future mean that throwing money at the problem is not an option. Nor can the U.S. afford to trim the planned F-35 fleet; we need those aircraft and their capabilities if we are to prevail. Instead, we need to improve F-35 maintenance, logistics, and sustainment — while reducing their costs.

The Real F-35 Problem We Need to Solve - Defense One (https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2020/09/real-f-35-problem-we-need-solve/168883/)

[Tombie]

Biggest piece of rubbish ever built. And we were stupid enough to buy some.

[Old Farang]

Australia's Joint Strike Fighters declared ready for deployment after passing trials


Australia's Joint Strike Fighters declared ready for deployment after passing trials - ABC News (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-28/australias-joint-strike-fighters-ready-for-deployment-pass-trial/13017700)


The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has declared its multi-billion-dollar fleet of Joint Strike Fighters is ready for deployment, two years after the first F-35As were delivered from the United States.

Since 2018, the controversial stealth fighters have been "rigorously tested" by the Defence Department which has now determined they have reached "initial operating capability" (IOC).

[bob10]

This is a report from 2019 which has not been resolved.

The plan to create a network of repair facilities for the aircraft is also running eight years behind schedule and will not be fully completed until 2024, after the F-35 enters service.
The network to distribute parts to international partners like Australia has not been established.
Some 1,000 F-35s are expected to enter service around the world in the next two or three years, and Ms Maurer said it was essential the infrastructure would be ready to support the aircraft.
"It's really important for the F-35 program to address all the numerous problems we found with the global support network that is supposed to underline the program," she said.



US officials reveal there aren't enough spare parts for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter - ABC News (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-25/there-arent-enough-spare-parts-for-the-joint-strike-fighter/11337686)