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Roper: F-35 Program at an ‘Inflection Point,’ as Air Force Looks to Reduce Flying Hour Cost to Bank for Future Systems

Frank Wolfe Frank Wolfe
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Roper: F-35 Program at an ‘Inflection Point,’ as Air Force Looks to Reduce Flying Hour Cost to Bank for Future Systems
A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 63rd Fighter Squadron takes off, Nov. 18, 2020, at Luke AFB, Ariz. Ten F-35s from Luke AFB participated in a joint exercise with two B-2 Spirit stealth bombers from Whiteman AFB, Mo. During the exercise,, F-35s pressured enemy air defenses, escorted the bombers to deter enemy aircraft, and dropped bombs to soften the target areas for the B-2s. The 63rd Fighter Squadron, which trains students to become F-35 pilots, usually uses simulations to conduct this training, but had the opportunity to train students in a real world environment instead. (U.S. Air Force Photo)

The program for the Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35 fighter, managed by the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.,  is at an "inflection point" in which the program needs to reduce sustainment, cost-per-flying hour costs, as the U.S. Air Force looks to double its fleet of the conventional F-35As over the next several years, Air Force acquisiton chief Will Roper said Jan. 14. "The cost per flying hour is not where we need it to…

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