
Finalizing the baseline software configuration for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter could take a year longer than planned, cost nearly $2 billion more than is budgeted and threaten the Navy declaring the jet operational, according the Government Accountability Office (GAO).In its annual report on the $400 billion acquisition program, GAO asserts that the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) estimates for completing system development and demonstration (SDD) developmental testing for the 3F software configuration are overly optimistic based on historical precedent.“Cascading…