Canada's plan to purchase up to 65 of the jets is based on a very specific timetable, and a slower ramp-up in production could force a tough decision between paying more per plane or extending the life of the country's CF-18s.
The special panel was comprised of five high-level U.S. Defense Department officials charged with investigating the risks of moving ahead with full production of the stealth fighter before all the kinks have been ironed out.
While such problems are common in the development of new, state-of-the-art aircraft, the deficiencies are usually addressed before they begin rolling off the assembly line.
In the case of the F-35, military planners in the U.S., Canada and other countries had been hoping lessons learned in the past would allow for the quick development and deployment of the stealth fighter, with minimal troubleshooting after the fact.
The panel's findings, compiled into an internal report since leaked to the Washington-based watchdog group Project on Government Oversight, clearly indicate that strategy backfired as aircraft that have already been built are loaded with problems.
"The program has been finding, and expects to continue to find, issues which will require consideration of potentially significant rework to (already-built) aircraft," the report.
In particular, serious issues were identified with the pilot's helmet and the plane's power system.
The panel goes on to warn that major issues related to the F-35's flight capabilities and airframe structure are being anticipated, particularly since the aircraft had not yet undergone some of the more rigorous and trying tests related to firing weapons and engaging in combat.
"The combined impact of these issues results in a lack of confidence in the design stability," reads the report.
The panel said production schedules should not be based on previous estimated timelines, but rather on whether the stealth fighter passes all the necessary tests. To that end, it said it "support serious reconsideration of procurement and production planning."
The Conservative government says Canada will receive up to 65 F-35s in a staggered delivery between 2016 and 2023, when they are in "peak production" to ensure the best price. At the same time, Canada's fleet of CF-18s is due to retire by 2020.
"In theory, our schedule is fixed," said former defence department procurement chief Alan Williams. "Our schedule hasn't changed because that's when we need them."
Many have already questioned the Conservative government's assertion each F-35 it purchases will cost only $75 million. Analysts predict the true cost to be about $140 million.
Williams, a vocal critic of the way the government has handled the F-35 file, says if the peak-production period moves, the government will have to decide whether to pay more per plane or rely on the CF-18s longer than anticipated.
Associate Deputy Minister Julian Fantino, who has said the government may buy fewer than the 65 F-35s, which the military says is the bare minimum to do its job right, told the House of Commons on Tuesday that the government's plan is on track.
But the Jerusalem Post on Monday reported Israel, concerned about the potential for delays, has joined Australia and the U.S. navy in upgrading its current fleet of fighters.
Politicians in Norway are also up in arms after that country's secretary of state for defence told a Canadian parliamentary committee that its plan to purchase 52 F-35s will cost $40 billion over 30 years.
Japan, however, is expected to sign onto the project this week.
Origin
Source: Ottawa Citizen
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