Though Actively Purchased, Flown, and Operated, the Lightning Has Yet to Reach Full-Rate Production or Finish Initial Operational Testing
The Government Accountability Office has released its findings on the F-35 Lightning's progress, calling attention to the extensive cost overruns and long delays in meeting program timelines. The DoD has not yet authorized the F-35 program to begin full-rate production, which is normally reserved for the point at which a system "demonstrates an acceptable level of performance and reliability". The GAO said that a large portion of the wait stems from difficulties in developing the F-35 Joint Simulation Environment, a sim that runs the aircraft's mission systems software alongside other software models t
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