kbrockman: the comment was not specifically aimed at anyone on this thread, just some lazy journalistic practice I have seen, and many have commented on, in the past. Apologies if the term upset you.
IMHO there is no doubt that the F-35 programme has issues which need solving urgently, but many defence procument programmes, which have not been buying off the shelf technology, have had similar. Particularly from a UK perspective, and looking historically:
TSR2, Nimrod AEW and MRA4, Tornado, Typhoon, A400M, Merlin etc... Some of these aircraft have been consigned to history whilst others have been, ultimately, succesful after alot of hard work and expense. Feel free to discuss of course!
I don't feel that the headline is ironic at all, just stating the case that it could be great for the UK if we're prepared to work at it and spend the money. I would say that there are a lot of very clever people looking at the technical issues and in my experience will continue to look at the technical issues throughout the F-35's service life. They will be solved, it's just a matter of time and money. Luckily it's not my decision to make the call as to when to either cough up or pull the plug.
(ps: I didn't write the article)
Last edited by WhiteOvies; 13th Feb 2012 at 18:59.
Reason: grammar!