For Lockheed's F-35, 2011 May Be A Do-Or-Die Year -- Star Telegram
If there's one thing the F-35 joint strike fighter program needs in 2011, it is some clear-cut signs of progress.
Hounded by controversy for much of the past two years, the F-35 has become the poster child for troubled, vastly overbudget military weapons programs.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates and other top officials have repeatedly complained about the performance of contractor Lockheed Martin and soaring cost estimates. Top military and civilian managers of the program were fired or changed jobs.
Read more ....
My Comment: Interestingly .... the senior officials who made the decision to pursue the F-35 program over the F-22 will be retiring by the end of this year. Secretary of Defense Gates, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mullen, and scores of others .... they are all making plans to leave Washington within the year.
My prediction .... with these backers gone, expect a different set of eyes on the F-35 program, and an entirely different altitude towards future budget overruns and production delays in the F-35 program. (At least .... I hope so).
On a side note, an excellent blog that covers F-35 news is the ELP Defens(c)e Blog. Bookmark it if the F-35 is your thing.