Foxtrot Alpha - There's good news, and bad news, and no news about progress since 2011.
The good news is that some recent flight-test milestones (those that were announced months in advance) have been passed on time, and production is making progress to being on schedule (whether that would be the case if they had attempted to stay on the pre-2011 ramp, I doubt). But that just means that the program is not getting further behind the original schedule.
The bad news is that some of the problems identified in the Quick Look Review report in late 2011, such as on-the-vizor night vision and the tailhook, are proving fix-resistant. Not that it can't be done but the first and easiest fixes don't seem to be working as hoped.
The no-news is that nobody dares predict an IOC date in public.
Bastardeux - Briefly: The attempt to exclude defense from budget cuts went down the tubes November 6. I can't cut defense without hitting procurement because there are limits to what I can cut in personnel, and I can't cut procurement without touching JSF.
N-a-B - If you can't afford what the JIRD/JORD resulted in, you have to try something else. The USAF is moving towards a stealthy/non-stealthy mix because that's what they can afford through 2030. Lots of the carrier navy would be happy with new Super Hs into the early 20s. Both the USAF and CV communities would happily tell the Marines to go pound sand, because the normal load of six jets per LHA/LHD is not strategically decisive.
Last edited by LowObservable; 10th Jan 2013 at 17:46.