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Independent technical assessment to recommend fix for F-35 programme

12th March 2021 - 19:00 GMT | by Jason Sherman in New York

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The F-35 programme faces the double challenge of an independent technical baseline review and renewed political scrutiny.

F-35 programme chiefs are turning to independent engineering experts at US universities, as they search for a cure to the technical challenges that have disrupted the schedule for full-rate production.

This development comes as one influential member of the House of Representatives described the long-running programme as a financial ‘rathole’.

The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) commissioned an independent assessment of the Joint Simulation Environment (JSE), a planned state-of-the-art simulator required to complete initial operational testing of the stealth fighter.

JPO spokesperson Laura Seal said: ‘The JSE independent technical assessment is being executed by a team of software subject

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Author

Jason Sherman

Jason Sherman is a US-based journalist. Since 1994, he has covered the Pentagon, defence industry, …

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