F-35s need expensive fix to fight

AUSTRALIA’s two shiny new F-35 Strike Fighters may never go to war.

With some 160 modifications needed to make their model combat worthy, the US Air Force is reportedly considering abandoning those already delivered in favour of new purchases.

Touted by manufacturer Lockheed Martin as the most advanced fighting machines ever built, virtually the entire production run of more than 100 so far has one glaring problem – they can’t fight.

Australia took delivery of two F-35A Lightning II Block 2B aircraft earlier this year.

Several more are due for delivery next year and are almost exactly the same in their specifications to the 108 F-35A Block 2Bs delivered so far to the US Air Force.

Now two senior US Pentagon officials responsible for the F-35 program have admitted they are seriously considering abandoning vital upgrades of those aircraft already delivered.

“We have literally 150 to 160 modifications that have to occur on some of our tails to get it to a Block 3 configuration,” US Vice Admiral Mat Winter told the Air Force Association’s annual Air, Space and Cyber conference earlier this week.

US Air Force Chief of Staff David Goldfein also admitted at the conference there was debate within the Pentagon.

“You’re going to see us continuing to do a business case analysis of retrofit of these aircraft,” he said.