Cost of the f-35 program

Cowboys Wire. The Independent. NBC News. Business Insider. Tri-City Herald. The Hill. The Telegraph. The Root. Idaho Statesman. Lexington Herald-Leader. Many of those direct the data fusion engine that connects all the powerful sensors the F carries and combines everything into information pilots can use to get that crucial leg up on enemy combatants.

It uses six electro-optical sensors that operate in the mid-wave infrared spectrum to provide a degree view around the plane in an attempt to maximize situational awareness.

It aids in missile and launch point detection and its cameras are integral to the helmet-mounted display system's HMDS ability to let the pilot see through the plane. That contract only extends through , though. The DAS may also be the seed of a future technology Babione envisions for the F the ability for the pilot to look wherever he or she wants and see a highly augmented version of what surrounds the fighter regardless of the canopy.

The root of that may already be there, though. It's no sure thing, though. Lockheed would not confirm that technology as the future of the jet, and, in the words of the company's mission systems expert for the F, Greg Lemons, "You don't want to adopt something just because it sounds good.

You want to be smart about the parts you bring in, and the parts that you decide aren't really going to help us. At the same time, Lockheed is shifting its focus from upfront development toward its continuous capability development and delivery C2D2 strategy, which focuses on agile upgrades. This story is part of our expansive F coverage. You can also learn about the fighter's helmet-mounted display system , data fusion and information sharing , automatic ground-collision avoidance and its active electronically scanned array radar.

Air Force will reach a tipping point where projected F sustainment costs become too expensive, forcing the service to either cut its planned buy of the Lockheed Martin-made jet or drastically reduce flying hours, the Government Accountability Office found in a new report.

Cost per tail per year is the measurement the Pentagon uses to measure how much money it takes to sustain a single aircraft annually.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. The sustainment cost problem overwhelmingly hurts the Air Force, the single largest F customer. For example, Air Force officials have noted that, even if it could somehow obtain all spare parts for its F fleet for free, F sustainment costs would still exceed affordability targets by 14 percent. For the other services, the situation is less dire.

At the same time that the program is resolving risks with the baseline program, DOD is encountering similar cost and schedule increases with its F modernization effort. This increase is, in part, a recognition of all costs, past and future, estimated to be required to complete the effort. Unless the F program accounts for historical performance in the schedule estimates, the Block 4 schedule will continue to exceed estimated time frames and stakeholders will lack reliable information on when the modernized capabilities will be delivered.