Enter 2021.01.13 10:10 | Revision 2021.01.13 10:11
Bloomberg “10 of 871 outstanding defects are serious”
Lockheed Martin “70% of defects are low priority and most of them are resolved”
The F-35, a state-of-the-art stealth fighter aircraft of the United States, which is being introduced into the ROK military as well as being referred to as’lord of the sky’ and’game changer’, is still suffering from numerous defects. Although Lockheed Martin has been catching the flaws through years of updates and repairs. Still, more than 870 operational defects were found.
According to Bloomberg News on the 12th (local time), there are at least 871 defects in the F-35 fighter reported to date. This means that despite Lockheed Martin’s large-budgeted defect principal project, only two defects were caught from the defects reported last year.
The F-35 is widely regarded as a stealth fighter with cutting edge features as much as its fancy nickname. As it is a fifth-generation aircraft that is not well detected by enemy radar, it has the ability to penetrate deeply through enemy air defense nets and hit targets precisely. Even in air combat, it is seldom caught by radar, showing the appearance of overwhelming existing fighters.
However, this fighter has been controversial with as many flaws as its reputation. With 917 defects found in the evaluation in September 2018, Lockheed Martin has begun a major update and repair project. At the end of 2019, a year later, 873 defects were found. It means that only 40 defects were caught in a year.
Lockheed Martin plans to update the F-35 program every six months by 2026 to correct the defect. Bloomberg said that Lockheed Martin will cost at least $12.1 billion for the project to modify some planes already built or in use by air forces such as the United States, Britain and Japan.
However, every time a new function is introduced or a defect is fixed, the fighter’s own stability problem will be caused, which will lead to delays in the planned schedule, Bloomberg and experts predict. In addition to the previously known software flaws, there are also criticisms that the 25mm cannon mounted on the F-35 exhibits'(common sense) unacceptable accuracy’.
It is pointed out that it is still unclear whether it will be able to penetrate North Korea’s air defense network, which is known to be the finest in the world. Time magazine previously emphasized that “out of the more than 870 defects, the problem arising from the results of 64 virtual battle tests in which the F-35 penetrated air defense networks of North Korea, China, and Russia in last year’s simulation evaluation was not included.”
The problem is that the possibility of Lockheed Martin catching the defect in a short time is not very high, according to the foreign media’s evaluation. Every time a software update or change is introduced, new problems arise. “Of the 871 unresolved defects, 10 are classified as’serious problems,” Bloomberg explained, “a critical flaw that could jeopardize the safety of the pilot or aircraft or reduce the effectiveness of the mission.”
On the other hand, in an official statement, Lockheed Martin said, “We have not yet seen the exact contents of the report, and we are closely tracking all F-35 defect reports.” However, about 70% of the 871 defects are relatively first. It is classified as a low-ranking defect, and these issues are also being resolved through joint program offices.”