The U.S. military’s F-35 fighter jets, a squadron of which is scheduled to arrive in Montgomery in 2023, have hit a speedbump on the road to full production.
According to a Bloomberg News report, a key combat simulation for the new jets has not yet occurred due to “difficulties finishing technical preparations.”
That simulation must proceed before the military can approve Lockheed Martin to send the jets into full production.
The test and the resultant production decision are now planned for 2021, per a statement sent to Bloomberg from the Department of Defense.
The necessary test is a month-long “Joint Simulation Environment,” according to Bloomberg, in which a pilot operates an indoor copy of the F-35 cockpit rigged with all of the technology included in the actual jet.
Originally scheduled for 2017, the simulation ” has struggled to develop the complex software and functionality needed,” according to a Government Accountability Office report.
After the simulation occurs, the Department of Defense will analyze the data produced for a period of up to three months.
A slow production rate is continuing for the F-35 jets; around 570 have been produced so far.
However, full production will be necessary to meet the program’s plan of more than 3,200 F-35s.
“A full-rate production decision would be a seal of approval from the Defense Department to U.S. taxpayers and foreign customers that the fighter jet has been fully tested, deemed effective against the highest-level threats, can meet its maintenance goals and can be produced efficiently,” reports Bloomberg.
The U.S. Air Force announced in 2017 that the F-35 would be coming to Dannelly Field in Montgomery.
The base in Alabama’s capital city was officially confirmed to receive the planes after passing an environmental impact review earlier this year.
The 187th Fighter Wing that is housed at Danelly currently operates F-16 fighters, some of the oldest jets still used by the military.
Even in the 2017 announcement, the F-35 planes were not scheduled to arrive in Alabama until 2023. Word has not been given on whether the continued delays in full production will affect that schedule.
The Department of Defense is currently “preparing an updated project schedule based on measured progress to date,” a spokeswoman told Bloomberg.
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95
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