Mission incapable? Pentagon review finds gun on F-35 fighter jet can’t hit targets & 800+ software glitches – report
January 31, 2020, 9:51 am

Mission incapable? Pentagon review finds gun on F-35 fighter jet can’t hit targets & 800+ software glitches – report

The long list of problems plaguing the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter continues to grow, with a Pentagon review finding over 800 software flaws in the costly aircraft, as well as defects that prevent its guns from hitting targets.

The annual assessment by the Pentagon’s director of operational testing and evaluation, Robert Behler, revealed that the program that has cost over $400 billion so far has a long way to go before the jets are truly operational.

The fifth-generation stealth fighter is struggling to meet combat readiness, with some 873 outstanding software issues – including cybersecurity vulnerabilities – and 13 other “must fix” problems affecting safety and performance which must be addressed before the plane can advance to its next stage of upgrades.

“Although the program office is working to fix deficiencies, discoveries are still being made, resulting in only a minor decrease in the overall number,” the assessment said, adding that “many significant” flaws remained.

Among the major defects identified in the report is the jet’s 25mm autocannon, which still has trouble putting lead on ground targets due to a defective mounting device, rendering the gun effectively unusable. While the issue is unique to the Air Force variant, the Pentagon nonetheless deemed the gun’s performance “unacceptable,” adding that it failed to meet “contract specification” in its current state.

Throwing the plane’s reliability further into question, the testing office also found that “no significant portion” of Washington’s F-35 fleet “was able to achieve and sustain” a benchmark known as the Mission Capable rate, which requires the aircraft to be able to perform at least one type of combat mission 80 percent of the time.

“By a large margin,” the fleet also fell far behind the more strict Full Mission Capability requirement, the report added. In spite of the mounting series of flaws and technical defects, US lawmakers have only ramped up F-35 purchases over the years, shelling out for 20 units in 2018, 15 in 2019 and another 20 for this year, shoveling hundreds of billions of tax dollars into the coffers of Lockheed Martin.

source: Reuters

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has announced its sponsorship of the “Innovation and Sustainable Technology Solutions Competition (GU - IST Solutions), hosted by Gulf University at its main campus.
This strategic sponsorship reflects BENEFIT’s active role in advancing technological innovation and fostering sustainable solutions to future challenges. It also seeks to empower Bahraini youth by enhancing their skills, capabilities, and competitiveness in innovation and solution development—contributing meaningfully to the broader goals of sustainable development across all sectors.
As part of BENEFIT’s active involvement in the competition, the company has announced that Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager of Public Relations and Communication, will serve on the competition’s supervisory committee. Her upcoming participation reflects BENEFIT’s forward-looking commitment to championing academic and professional excellence.
Commenting on the occasion, Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager of Public Relations and Communication at BENEFIT, said, “We are privileged to support this pioneering initiative, which aligns seamlessly with BENEFIT’s enduring commitment to fostering innovation and nurturing the potential of Bahrain’s youth. Our participation is rooted in a deep sense of social responsibility and a firm belief in the pivotal role of innovation in shaping a sustainable future. Through such platforms, we seek to empower the next generation with the knowledge, skills, and foresight required to develop impactful solutions that address future challenges, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030.”
Dr. Aseel Al Ayash Dean of the College of Engineering in Gulf University commented, “We extend our sincere gratitude to BENEFIT for their generous sponsorship and support of the Innovation and Sustainable Technology Solutions Competition. This contribution plays an instrumental role in helping us achieve the strategic goals of this initiative, namely, cultivating a culture of innovation and sustainability, encouraging efforts that address the imperatives of sustainable development, and enhancing the practical and professional capabilities of our students and participants.”
The event will bring together a diverse spectrum of participants, including secondary school students, university undergraduates, engineers, industry professionals, entrepreneurs, academic researchers, and subject matter experts representing a wide range of disciplines.
The competition seeks to inspire participants to develop and present innovative, sustainable technologies aimed at addressing pressing environmental, social, and economic challenges. It encourages the formulation of business models that integrate advanced technological solutions with core principles of sustainability. Moreover, it serves as a platform for emerging leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators to contribute to the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals, promote the ethos of responsible technology, and demonstrate its transformative potential across various sectors.
Attendees will have the opportunity to view a series of project presentations submitted by participants, covering diverse areas such as eco-friendly product design, smart and sustainable innovations, renewable energy technologies, water conservation and management, waste minimisation and recycling, green architectural solutions, and sustainable transportation systems. Outstanding projects will be formally recognised and awarded at the conclusion of the event.