Call for halt to JSF plan after U.S. warning
Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon was Sunday urged to put off the
planned purchase of JSF fighter jets after US watchdogs warned of
problems in production and costing of the aircraft.
“This warning should really give the minister pause for thought,” said Federal Member for Tangney Dennis Jensen, following the release of the critical US Government Accountability Office report.
“The US is telling us that its own project is in trouble and that we should be cautious. It is time for Australia to abandon its plan to buy the JSF.
“At the very least, we should be taking a wait and see posture, not backing a project which is already demonstrating flaws in production schedules, testing, costing and performance.
“When it comes to Australia’s defence, we cannot afford to take chances on a potentially unreliable product.”
The defence minister is expected to announce Australia’s commitment to purchasing up to 100 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) in the defence white paper due by June.
But the US watchdog report said with final testing of the jet not anticipated before 2014, “it does not seem prudent” to commit to buying the Lockheed Martin aircraft at present.
It also warned that the manufacturer’s plans to fast-track the already delayed production of the JSF could cause a project cost blow-out of US$33.4 billion.
“Accelerating plans also does not equate to an ability to deliver to those
plans,” the report said.
“Because the program’s manufacturing processes are still maturing
and flight testing is still in its infancy, incorporating an accelerated
production schedule introduces even more risk and uncertainty to the
program.”
Dr Jensen, who has long expressed concern at Australia’s plan to purchase the JSF, also noted Lockheed Martin last week suggested the aircraft design may be revised to deal with cooling problems.
“It is just another indicator of problems with the entire JSF project,” he said, following media reports quoting Lockheed Martin officials on the matter.
“There are so many unknowns about the aircraft – and much of what we do know is not positive.
“It would be folly to commit to such a purchase at this time.”
If approved, the JSF order would be Australia’s biggest ever defence acquisition and could cost more than $20 billion.
“This warning should really give the minister pause for thought,” said Federal Member for Tangney Dennis Jensen, following the release of the critical US Government Accountability Office report.
“The US is telling us that its own project is in trouble and that we should be cautious. It is time for Australia to abandon its plan to buy the JSF.
“At the very least, we should be taking a wait and see posture, not backing a project which is already demonstrating flaws in production schedules, testing, costing and performance.
“When it comes to Australia’s defence, we cannot afford to take chances on a potentially unreliable product.”
The defence minister is expected to announce Australia’s commitment to purchasing up to 100 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) in the defence white paper due by June.
But the US watchdog report said with final testing of the jet not anticipated before 2014, “it does not seem prudent” to commit to buying the Lockheed Martin aircraft at present.
It also warned that the manufacturer’s plans to fast-track the already delayed production of the JSF could cause a project cost blow-out of US$33.4 billion.
“Accelerating plans also does not equate to an ability to deliver to those
plans,” the report said.
“Because the program’s manufacturing processes are still maturing
and flight testing is still in its infancy, incorporating an accelerated
production schedule introduces even more risk and uncertainty to the
program.”
Dr Jensen, who has long expressed concern at Australia’s plan to purchase the JSF, also noted Lockheed Martin last week suggested the aircraft design may be revised to deal with cooling problems.
“It is just another indicator of problems with the entire JSF project,” he said, following media reports quoting Lockheed Martin officials on the matter.
“There are so many unknowns about the aircraft – and much of what we do know is not positive.
“It would be folly to commit to such a purchase at this time.”
If approved, the JSF order would be Australia’s biggest ever defence acquisition and could cost more than $20 billion.
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