OUR N E W   W E B   S I T E   "WORLD AIR FORCE NEWS"
 
  
 
 

WORLD AIR WAR HISTORY


 
  HOME > 4/5th Generation Fighters News >

Pentagon Estimates $1 Trillion For JSF Operations

Pentagon Estimates $1 Trillion For JSF Operations

Amount Projected To Fly 2,443 F-35 Fighters For 50 Years.

Operation of a fleet of 2,443 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters will cost the U.S. taxpayers nearly a trillion dollars over 50 years, according to Lt. Gen. Terry Robling, deputy commandant of the Marine Corps for aviation. The Pentagon is reportedly looking into ways to drive those costs down.

n an interview with Reuters, Robling said that while it is understood that the cost of the program is high, "everybody was on board" to continue with initial low-rate production of the aircraft. He had just attended a ceremony involving three of the VTOL "B" variant of the airplane at Eglin AFB in Florida.

Robling sad that unless those costs can be constrained, the Pentagon will be faced with difficult choices, including buying fewer of the jets, or reducing anticipated flight hours. All of those decisions, he said, are five to 10 years in the future.

While Robling said that the program is "unaffordable" given the current estimates, that figure is a moving target while the aircraft is still in development. He noted that projected operating costs of the V-22 Osprey had fallen 30 percent since it was first introduced. "We'll learn on the JSF as we go," he said, adding that the costs were expected to be lower. Among the factors in lower operating costs are the airplane's composite construction, which will eliminate much standard anti-corrosion work, as well as the number of sensors installed on the aircraft which will help maintenance personnel better isolate and address issues with the aircraft.

He added that both prime contractor Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon had come a long way in program management over the past two years, finding significant savings.


Source: 28 February 2012 - www.marines.mil

Photo: A group of Lockheed F-35B Lightning II fighters (Photo by Lockheed Martin)

(28.02.2012)


 
  CONTINENTAL NEWS:

American Air Force News
African Air Force News
Asian Air Force News
European Air Force News
Middle Eastern AF News
Ocean Air Force News


• China's new stealth bomber H-20 will allow it to make 'truly intercontinental' strikes, report says

(30.11.2020)
China's subsonic H-20 stealth bomber will give the country a "truly intercontinental" capacity expanding its reach far beyond the country's seaboard, according to a report by a l...>>

• Russia's Deliveries of Su-57s in 2020

(26.12.2019)
Russia's aerospace forces will receive large-scale deliveries of Su-57 fighter jets starting from 2020, Russia's Rostec State Corporation CEO Sergei Chemezov said Thursday....>>

• USAF F-16 Downs Drone With Rocket for Cruise Missile

(23.12.2019)
An US Air Force F-16 recently shot down a targeting drone with an AGR-20A Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System rocket queued by the Viper’s targeting pod for the first time in a d...>>

• Northrop Grumman to EW Suite Prototype for USAF F-16

(14.11.2019)
US Air Force has selected Northrop Grumman, via the SOSSEC Consortium, to demonstrate prototype systems to protect the F-16 fleet against radio frequency threats....>>

• US Air Force Prototypes 6th-Gen Future Stealth Fighters

(26.09.2019)
Drone fighter jets, hypersonic attack planes, artificial intelligence, lasers, electronic warfare and sensors woven into the fuselage of an aircraft - are all areas of current tech...>>

• Raytheon Set to Offer Retrofits for Boeing's F-15 Jet Fleet

(9.06.2019)
Raytheon Company RTN recently secured a $15-million modification contract for retrofitting F-15 jet fleet with Mode 5 capable Identify Friend or Foe units. The deal was awarded by...>>

• Leonardo’s BriteCloud decoy flies toward service on RAF Typhoons

(9.06.2019)
Leonardo will support UK MOD trials with its BriteCloud Expendable Active Decoy in the UK and US....>>

 



       info@xairforces.net Webmaster: REFLX DESIGN - © 2011 xairforces / Aviation Society,