
Last week, leading Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) lamented the significant, ongoing problems with the Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35 nearly 20 years after the company beat Boeing [BA] on October 26, 2001 in winning a contract to execute what has become the costliest acquisition program in Pentagon history--a program expected to pile up more than $1.2 trillion in sustainment costs. High on the problems list is an availability shortage of the Pratt & Whitney [RTX] F135 engine…