There are conflicting opinions on the 'systemic' question.
But there's real reason to worry. The June incident might reflect serious design flaws that could render the F-35 unsuitable for combat.
For starters, the Lockheed Martin-built F-35 - which can avoid sensor detection thanks to its special shape and coating - simply doesn't work very well. The Pentagon has had to temporarily ground F-35s no fewer than 13 times since 2007, mostly due to problems with the plane's Pratt & Whitney-made F135 engine, in particular, with the engines' turbine blades. The stand-downs lasted at most a few weeks.
"The repeated problems with the same part of the engine may be indications of a serious design and structural problem with the F135 engine," said Johan Boeder, a Dutch aerospace expert and editor of the online publication JSF News.
Pratt & Whitney has already totally redesigned the F135 in an attempt to end its history of frequent failures. But there's only so much engineers can do. In a controversial move during the early stages of the F-35's development, the Pentagon decided to fit the plane with one engine instead of two. Sticking with one motor can help keep down the price of a new plane. But in the F-35's case, the decision proved self-defeating.
That's because the F-35 is complex - the result of the Air Force, Marines and Navy all adding features to the basic design. In airplane design, such complexity equals weight. The F-35 is extraordinarily heavy for a single-engine plane, weighing as much as 35 tons with a full load of fuel.
By comparison, the older F-15 fighter weighs 40 tons. But it has two engines. To remain reasonably fast and maneuverable, the F-35's sole F135 engine must generate no less than 20 tons of thrust - making it history's most powerful fighter motor.
All that thrust results in extreme levels of stress on engine components. It's no surprise, then, that the F-35 frequently suffers engine malfunctions
http://www.reuters.com/article/article/idUSL2N0PQ1I920140715?irpc=932
So we have an aircraft with half the wing area of similar sized fighters, a single engine doing two jobs on a aircraft that weighs as much as a twin. I still cant see how it can ever be anything other than a bvr munitions delivery system.
I had an open mind, but this thing is a lemon.