The F-35 program suffered a serious setback on May 3 when a critical electrical system failure occurred while the jet was traveling 500 MPH at 38,000 feet -- the prototype plane, which was on its 19th test flight, had to be brought down for an emergency landing by the pilot and subsequent test flights were cancelled. The plane hasn't flown since and a scheduled flight for December 4 was scrubbed at the last minute.
Defense Industry Daily reports that the electrical system failure was attributed to a problem with the new 270 volt power supply that is used to control the aircraft's electro-hydrostatic actuators (EHAs).
"This is the first real electric jet. The flight control actuators, while they have internal closed-loop hydraulic systems, are controlled and driven by electricity -- not hydraulics," said F-35 chief test pilot Jon Beesley. Unfortunately for Lockheed, the EHA system now has to be redesigned to prevent further incidents.
In addition, the F-35C naval version suffers a design flaw in its power generator which in turn means that the gearbox for the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine has to be redesigned -- the redesign won't be complete until the close of 2009. The Pratt & Whitney F135 faced another setback in October when the engine overheated and blew up during bench testing.
But these are the least of the F-35's problems. The F-35 is being built and will be flown in conjunction with the help of a number of allies. European countries, which are eager to get their hands on the F-35, may not have fully functional, multi-role aircraft until 2016. The problem is due to the fact that software modules required to make the plane a competent air-superiority fighter are not yet complete and won't be until 2016 at the earliest.
As a result, the F-35 will be restricted to mainly ground-attack bombing runs.
There is the issue that the number of F-35s to be produced has been reduced from 3,500 to as little as 2,300 -- effectively raising the cost per plane -- and Australia's decision to go with the F/A-18 F Block II Super Hornet as a stopgate measure until the F-35 is ready.
The rising costs for the F-35 are looming over the entire program. "Nobody is interested in getting their airplanes earlier unless we can help them mitigate the fact the earlier airplanes cost more," remarked Lockheed executive vice president and F-35 program general manager Tom Burbage to the Star-Telegram.
Costs for the program have ballooned from $30 billion USD in 2002 to $40 billion USD today. And according to the Air Force, a single F-35 will cost $100 million USD when production is comfortably underway in 2013 -- this compares to $50 million USD for a single F-16 or $132 million USD for a single F-22 Raptor.
The F-35 program mechanical/electrical/avionics problems, delays and cost overruns are becoming burdensome to all nations involved. Many countries are looking to the F-35 to replace their aging fleets because the United States wants to keep its premier F-22 fighter to itself.
"If they're barred from buying the F-22, the question is, where do they go?" said Forecast International aerospace analyst Ray Jaworoski.
The F-35 will be produced in three variants: F-35A, F-35B and F-35C. The F-35A will be used by the United States Air Force to replace the F-16 and A-10, while the F-35B will take the place of the Marine Corps' AV-8 Harrier. The F-35C will be used by the Navy to replace the F-18A/B/C/D.
