F-35 faces two-year delay: U.S. general
Undated handout photo of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, also known as Joint Strike Fighter, in flight.
Photograph by: Handout, Lockheed-Martin
OTTAWA — A senior U.S. air force general has warned that the F-35 stealth fighter program will be delayed up to two more years.
Maj.-Gen. Jay Lindell told members of the U.S. congressional subcommittee on tactical air and land forces earlier this month the U.S. Air Force had expected the aircraft to be ready for initial use in 2016.
However, restructuring in the $66-billion program, which is already five years behind schedule, may push things back to 2018, he said.
"The program continues to experience challenges as it transitions from development to production despite the significant accomplishments," Lindell said.
Canada had been set to receive the first of its 65 F-35 fighters in 2017 — in time to begin retiring its aging fleet of CF-18 Hornets. However, any delay in rolling out the F-35 aircraft in the U.S. will slow things for Canada as well.
Read more:http://www.canada.com/technology/faces+year+delay+general/5674962/story.html#ixzz1d8rYsORH
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