ISLAMABAD – The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will not complete itsalready-delayed formal operational test phase this fall because of asetback in the testing process, according to a source close to the program.
While the F-35 Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) was supposedto be complete by late summer, a source with knowledge of its developmentsaid the testing is still incomplete due to an unfinished phase known asthe Joint Simulation Environment, Press TV has reported.
The JSE simulations project characteristics such as weather, geography andrange, allowing test pilots to prove the aircraft’s “full capabilitiesagainst the full range of required threats and scenarios,” according to a2015 Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E) report.
The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO), in coordination with the DefenseDepartment, confirmed that the Joint Simulation Environment testing phaseis still being worked through, but could not provide a timeline for itscompletion.
“This final phase of IOT&E will occur when the JSE is ready to adequatelycomplete the testing,” DoD spokesman Air Force Lt. Col Mike Andrews said ina statement Wednesday. “The JSE is required to adequately perform F-35IOT&E against modern adversary aircraft and dense ground threats inrealistic scenarios.”
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The JPO and F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin announced Dec. 6 that allthree F-35 variants belonging to the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps wouldbe field-tested “for the purposes of determining the weapons systems’operational effectiveness and operational suitability for combat.” IOT&Ehad originally been set to begin in September 2018.
The latest delay raises doubts about when the stealth jet will hit its nextcrucial benchmark: expanded production.
