Author: Michael Scanlon Date: June 12, 2026 A Government Accountability Office report finds that the F-35 fleet’s readiness continued to decline through fiscal 2025, with only one in four aircraft fully mission capable. The report attributes the decline to software delays affecting newer jets, spare-parts shortages, maintenance issues, and corrosion. The F-35 Joint Program Office’s […]
Author: Aaron CalvinDate: March 2, 2026 The article reports that the Pentagon confirmed the Vermont Air National Guard, including the 158th Fighter Wing, is in the Middle East supporting U.S. and Israeli military action against Iran. It says the unit had first been mobilized for action tied to Venezuela, then was redirected across the Atlantic […]
Author: Stephen LoseyDate: September 3, 2025 Summary: The Pentagon has scaled back its ambitious F-35 Block 4 modernization program in response to escalating costs, production delays, and supply chain issues, according to a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit. The report concludes that years of missed deadlines, cost overruns, and software instability have forced officials […]
Stephen Losey May 29, 2025 Lockheed Martin plans to “super-charge” the F-35 by porting elements of its abandoned sixth-generation NGAD bid into the current fighter. Over the next two-to-three years the company expects to introduce upgraded stealth coatings and minor shape changes that lower radar and infrared signatures, add advanced electronic-warfare, networking and autonomy features that […]
Author: Dan Grazier Date: December 18, 2024 Summary of the Article The article critiques the F-35 fighter jet program, calling it a costly failure with limited military value. Despite over two decades of development and nearly $300 billion spent, the aircraft has not demonstrated adequate combat capabilities or reliability. The focus on economic arguments to […]
April 30, 2024 By Chris Gordon During a House Armed Services Committee hearing on April 30, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III defended the F-35 program against criticisms of its high cost and operational challenges. Lawmakers like Rep. Matt Gaetz raised concerns about the program’s sustainment costs, which are projected to exceed $1.5 trillion. […]
by The Other Paper September 6, 2024, 6:16 pm The Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport has made significant progress with its residential sound insulation program, launched in 2022 to mitigate aircraft noise for nearby residents. The program has completed work on 15 homes, with plans to soundproof 65 more by the end of 2024 and […]
By: COURTNEY LAMDIN Date: October 11, 2023 Jennifer Bouffard and her family, who live near the Burlington International Airport, rejected an offer from the airport to buy their home due to jet noise years ago. Since then, the louder F-35 jets have replaced the Vermont Air National Guard’s F-16s. Four years after the introduction of […]
BY DAN GRAZIER JUNE 08, 2023 The Air Force’s top civilian leader says the F-35 program taught everyone how not to buy a fighter jet and vows not to repeat the mistakes that turned history’s most expensive weapon program into an absolute boondoggle. While it is refreshing to hear an official acknowledge some of the […]
BY ALFRED MEYER MARCH 27, 2023 1:01 PM While Tom Cruise heroically flies fighter jets in the film Top Gun: Maverick, which was vying for an Oscar for Best Film this year, two communities in the United States—Burlington, Vermont, and Madison, Wisconsin—are contending with the dangers caused by the basing of F-35s in residential neighborhoods. […]