The Marine Corps commandant said he is “absolutely confident” the service’s version of the Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will be taken off probation by the Defense Department. Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in January put the F-35B, a short-takeoff, vertical landing version, on what could be a two-year development probation to work out problems with its lift system.
Since that decision, “a lot’s happened,” General James Amos said today. “The metrics for determining how the airplane is flying and testing have improved dramatically. Not in every area, but in most areas, the airplane is ahead of schedule on test.”
Amos made his remarks after one of the five short-takeoff and landing models at the test site demonstrated its capabilities. It made a vertical landing — about the 120th conducted this year, in contrast to 10 all of last year.
Through July 25, F-35Bs have flown 182 times this year compared with 154 flights planned, according to government test data.
“I’m absolutely confident it will get through probation,” Amos said. “It depends on when the secretary of defense likes what he sees,” Amos told reporters at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland.
The criteria as to when the aircraft escapes probation “have not been established,” said Amos, who dubbed himself a “realistic cheerleader.”
Amos said he’s aware that the Lockheed Martin aircraft must show consistent reliability improvements without weight increases, meet software delivery schedules and successfully complete shipboard testing to commence in late October.
The F-35 program manager, Vice Admiral David Venlet, said in an interview that key steps to leaving probation next year include testing propulsion system clutch and driveshaft improvements and auxiliary air inlet door modifications. The door improvements are needed to solve what’s now a potential “unacceptable” safety risk, according to program data reviewed by Amos.
“Basic engineering” is being done on each of those, Venlet said. “We would like to demonstrate each successfully in flight test and then have that conversation with the secretary of defense.”
