August 14, 2019 | International, Aerospace
Pat Host, Washington, DC
Key Points
The F-35 programme's test fleet has a fully mission-capable rating that is roughly 10% of its goal
This could make it difficult for the Pentagon to make an educated decision on whether to enter full-rate production
The Pentagon's Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) test fleet has a fully mission-capable rate of 8.7% compared with an 80% goal, causing one watchdog to question whether the programme can accomplish all of its initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) test points before the phase ends.
Dan Grazier, military fellow with the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) watchdog group in Washington, DC, said the Pentagon plans to make its full-rate production (FRP) decision by the rapidly approaching end of fiscal year 2019 (FY 2019) or early FY 2020. The fiscal year changes on 1 October. If the F-35 programme cannot accomplish all its IOT&E test points by this deadline, Grazier said the Pentagon cannot make an informed decision on FRP.
The FY 2016 Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) report called for an 80% availability rate to conduct an efficient IOT&E and support sustained combat operations. According to an F-35 programme briefing slide provided by POGO and dated 19 July 2019, the 8.7% rate is an improvement from 4.7% in May.
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A year into the pandemic, Defense News has measured its toll on the defense industry. The full scope of damage is complex and still coming into focus, but a broad outline is becoming clear.
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Italy's intelligence watchdog has called for tighter, U.S.-style monitoring of corporate acquisitions after allegations that China quietly purchased an Italian military drone maker that supplied Italy's special forces.
August 13, 2018 | International, Aerospace
Le fleuron de l'armement français et ses équipements intègrent des composants américains dont Washington pourrait interdire l'exportation. Révélations. Par Ariane Lavrilleux et Guerric Poncet Ala veille de sa rencontre avec Vladimir Poutine à Helsinki mi-juillet, Donald Trump s'est fendu d'une phrase que les industriels français n'ont pas oubliée : « L'Union européenne est un ennemi (...) et profite vraiment des Etats-Unis. » Les mots du président de la première puissance mondiale ne sont pas que provocateurs : une véritable épée de Damoclès est suspendue au-dessus du secteur de la défense, et elle se nomme Itar. Derrière ce sigle se cache la régulation internationale sur le commerce des armes (International Traffic in Arms Regulations). Article complet: http://www.lepoint.fr/economie/pourquoi-trump-veut-briser-le-rafale-09-08-2018-2242513_28.php