The Marine Corps F-35 version, has a key milestone next year. While the Marines want the plane to be deemed ready for warfare in mid-2015, tests on some of its software might not be completed on time, and may be as much as 13 months late.
Delays of this magnitude would mean that the Marine Corps will not likely have all of the capabilities it expects in July 2015.
The Air Force’s F-35 version is supposed to meet a similar deadline in 2016, and the Navy model in 2018. Italy and the U.K. are buying the Marine Corps model.
Lockheed Martin is confident to complete flight testing of the software required for Marine Corps initial operational capability this year.
The company plans to release the required software for the Marine version no later than July 2015. This software will enable the Marines to identify, target and engage the opposition.
Lockheed Martin is improving its production processes and reduced problems with its pilot helmet, the Navy F-35’s tailhook, which enables the plane to land on aircraft carriers, and an automatic diagnostic system.
The company and the Pentagon program office also made progress in 2013 toward reducing the cost of the Navy and Air Force models, though not the Marine Corps version.
bloomberg
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