F-35 Delayed - Updated F-15's/16's may be needed

Posted on: Nov. 10th, 2004 || Source: abovetopsecret.com | E-mail Article | Print Article

According to Lt. Col. Gregory Johnson, Deputy Chief of the JSF system management organization, the costs attached to the recent re-engineering of the F-35 Joint Strke Fighter will delay it's introduction into the US military by up to 2 years, (from 2011 to 2013).

The re-engineering of the aircraft was caused by the need to drastically reduce weight in all 3 versions, the Conventional Take Off & Landing (CTOL), the Carrier Variant (CV), and the Short Take-Off & Landing version (STOVL). Earlier this fall, Lockheed Martin managed to trim 2,700 pounds from the STOVL design, and 1,500 pounds from both the CTOL and CV versions.

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