I did say delays “up to this point”. Going forward is a different issue.

Notice that it says “could delay”, it’s not set in stone.

The delays that have plagued the F-35 (up to this point) have barely anything to do with it’s avionics. They have been SWAT, production ramp-up issues, or physical issues (ie engine, bulkhead, hinge, electrical, etc).

Using an avionics spiral dev program would not have helped with the past delays.

As the news that came out this week stated, those numbers are based on assuming the same man planning for the F-35 as per 4th gen and completely ignoring advances in personnel reduction that the F-35 is based on.

Update on BF-05, current status, and 2011 test plan:

Steps Forward, Step Back for F-35
Posted by Graham Warwick at 1/28/2011 9:53 AM CST
Lockheed Martin flew the fifth STOVL F-35B yesterday (Jan 27), taking the number of aircraft in the development flight-test program to 10. The fourth CTOL F-35A, meanwhile, was ferried to Edwards AFB on Jan 22.

Under the current plan, two more development aircraft remain to fly, F-35C carrier variants CF-2 and -3. They are expected to ferry to NAS Patuxtent River by June. But construction of a third CV test jet, CF-5, has begun and more aircraft of all three variants will be added to the flight-test program under the replan now being put in place.

Lockheed’s CEO, Roberts Stevens, told analysts yesterday that the company is planning to complete 872 test flights this year, more than double the 410 flights achieved in 2010. In addition to the four CTOL, five STOVL and three CV test jets, the first two production F-35As, AF-6 and -7, will fly in the test program this year.

But Stevens also warned that Lockheed may not be able to lower the F-35’s cost in Fiscal 2012 because of the Pentagon’s plan to trim procurement to 32 from 45 – to help pay for the extra development resources and time provided under the replan.

With 32 aircraft purchased in Fiscal 2011, production rate will remain flat through 2012 and Lockheed will not move down the learning curve as fast as it has over the first four production lots. The Pentagon plans to return to a 1.5-times ramp rate in 2013, but the near-term cut will make it harder to meet the unit-cost targets.

Yes, because, as he has made clear by his actions in the past, Grey Area is himself biased against the F-35, and has no problem letting that bias affect how he moderates threads.

I think what he is trying to do is keep the “News” threads just that, news. I think we should give him the benefit of the doubt and go with that.

There is another F-35 thread for general discussions, debate, rants, flamewars, etc 😉

here: http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=106384