Warts And All

As the US Air Force prepares for initial operational capability with the F-35A later this year, progress on the Joint Strike Fighter development program continues to attract scrutiny.

It’s my pink body on the line at the end of the day,” says Squadron Leader Andrew Jackson, Australia’s first F-35 pilot, on the capabilities of the RAAF’s next fast jet.

“It’s not without its warts but we know what they are and we are working to solve those,” SQNLDR Jackson, who is an instructor pilot on the F-35 with the US Air Force’s 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona told reporters during a media briefing in Canberra in early April.