Canadian journalist David Pugliese's ever-vigilant Defence Watch blog for the Ottawa Citizen informs us today that Canadian deputy minister of national defence (DND) for materiel Dan Ross appears to be grossly misinformed about his ministry's biggest acquisition programme.
As Pugliese notes that the DND's highest cost estimate for the F-35 has now risen to CAD$80 million per aircraft, he also quotes Ross' testimony last month to Parliament's Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates. Here's Ross, according to Defence Watch:
Claiming the F-35A "has finished development" is simply untrue. This is different than normal PR spin, which upon scrutiny often proves generally true yet misleading at the same time. No, this statement is factually incorrect, and Ross is just plain wrong.
Development testing for the F-35A is currently scheduled through 2016. Don't believe me. Just do a quick Google search. Believe this press release from the US Air Force, or this press release by the Department of Defense, or this report from the director of Office of Test and Evaluation. This is not a secret and the US government has made no attempt to conceal or obscure the F-35 programme's development schedule. This is true even though production aircraft are being delivered to Eglin AFB. These aircraft must be modified to the operational configuration after development is complete.
Telling a Parliamentary panel otherwise is simply wrong.
As Pugliese notes that the DND's highest cost estimate for the F-35 has now risen to CAD$80 million per aircraft, he also quotes Ross' testimony last month to Parliament's Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates. Here's Ross, according to Defence Watch:
"Right now that estimate is 75 to 80 million for the conventional takeoff variant, not for the other two which are more expensive and have more developmental risk. That variant, our variant has finished its development. It is in production and the United States Air Force has taken its first production aircraft and will stand up its first squadron this year." [Emphasis added]
Claiming the F-35A "has finished development" is simply untrue. This is different than normal PR spin, which upon scrutiny often proves generally true yet misleading at the same time. No, this statement is factually incorrect, and Ross is just plain wrong.
Development testing for the F-35A is currently scheduled through 2016. Don't believe me. Just do a quick Google search. Believe this press release from the US Air Force, or this press release by the Department of Defense, or this report from the director of Office of Test and Evaluation. This is not a secret and the US government has made no attempt to conceal or obscure the F-35 programme's development schedule. This is true even though production aircraft are being delivered to Eglin AFB. These aircraft must be modified to the operational configuration after development is complete.
Telling a Parliamentary panel otherwise is simply wrong.
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