January 18, 2017 The chairman of a key subcontractor in the F-35 program told Bloomberg News Tuesday that President-elect Donald Trump wants to reduce the cost of the project by at least 10 percent. “We’ve been told through Lockheed that the president has an ambition to reduce the cost of the aircraft by a material […]
By Tom Vanden Brook Jan. 27, 2017 Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has ordered the Pentagon to launch a review on how to save costs on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, the Pentagon’s most costly weapons-buying effort in history. Mattis’ memo, sent on Thursday, also calls on the military to determine whether the F-18 fighter can […]
By Mandy Smithberger January 30, 2017 Following President Donald Trump’s announcement today that Lockheed Martin has cut $600 million from the F-35 program, Dan Grazier, the Jack Shanahan Fellow at POGO’s Straus Military Reform Project, said: “Although this appears to be a victory for those concerned about out-of-control costs of the F-35 program, these savings […]
by Valerie Insinna January 31, 2017 An update to the US Air Force’s 2017 wish list bumps its unfunded requirements to $10.6 billion, with the service seeking funding for more F-35s and a light attack aircraft experiment, among other new efforts. Congress has not passed a defense spending bill for 2017, opting instead to extend […]
By Ewen MacAskill Feb. 4, 2017 Britain is being forced to pour millions of pounds of new funds into the troubled F-35 stealth fighter programme being developed in America and considered a vital part of the UK’s future defences. The F-35, being built by the US in partnership with countries including the UK, is the […]
By Rich Price, and Ellen Powell Feb. 8, 2017 No-Reporting Zone I write to express my disappointment in the editor’s decision to run a story about Lt. Col. John Rahill [“F-16 Aviator Must Take Civilian Pilot Exam After Small Plane Crash,” February 1]. Poorly written and mean-spirited, the article appears to be an attempt to […]
By Richard Joseph Sep. 12, 2016 In a time of universal deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act. — Anonymous The truth revolution faces fierce opposition in Burlington. In fact, during the past four or five years, Burlington has been subjected to a concerted disinformation campaign touting the supposed benefits of basing the troubled […]
By Jimmy Leas March 5, 2017 South Burlington is being roughed up every day by a bully to the north. We must stop collaborating. Now is the time to rebel. Burlington is the bully. Burlington hosts an otherwise well-regarded tenant at its airport that operates screamingly loud F-16 fighter jets that cause serious health and […]
By Rosanne Greco March 8, 2017 There is a solution to the airport noise problems in which all of the entities involved — the Vermont Air National Guard, the airport, South Burlington, Burlington and the surrounding communities — will survive and thrive. It’s simple, aligns totally with Vermont values, won’t cost a dime, may result […]
March 1, 2017 Gov. Butch Otter, with Boise Mayor Dave Bieter standing alongside, signed a bill Tuesday that will authorize expenditure of $100,000 in taxpayer funds to lobby on behalf of basing the admittedly noisy F-35 fighter in Boise. Stars & Stripes, the military newspaper in Japan, recently reported a Japanese court has awarded residents […]