Memo: F-35 Fell Short in Seaborne Tests

Flight demonstrations held in July aboard the amphibious assault ship Wasp revealed sufficient deficiencies in the capability of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, according to a July Pentagon memorandum written by the program’s chief evaluator. While acknowledging that a thorough assessment of the plane would require testing to take place under conditions more akin to those the plane would face in real-world scenarios, J. Michael Gilmore outlined several areas where the F-35 fell short of expectations. “Aircraft reliability was poor enough that it was difficult for … Marines to keep ore than two or three of the six embarked jets in a flyable status on any given day,” Gilmore wrote. “The challenges will be substantially tougher when the aircraft first deploys operationally, where working mission systems will not be optional, and where maintenance is likely to be more challenging,” he wrote.