Lockheed Martin admits JSF delays

Lockheed Martin officials have described 2009 as a “challenging year” for the F-35 JSF program and have admitted the company has fallen well behind the program’s development schedule, but remain confident the ground can be made up.

Speaking to the Fort Worth Star Telegram, LM vice president and F-35 program general manager Dan Crowley said 2009 “has been the most challenging year, but we knew it would be,” adding that “Everybody is looking at the schedule and saying you’ve had past delays, but they’re coming down. What I’m encouraged by is, each jet that goes out is more complete and it takes less time.”

Aircraft have been delivered to the flight test line about six months later than planned this year, resulting in only four of the scheduled nine flight test aircraft taking to the air so far this year, and about one-third of the planned flight test hours being completed.