* Aircraft operating limitations prohibit
flying the aircraft at night or in instrument meteorological conditions, hence
pilots must avoid clouds and other weather". These restrictions are in place because testing has
not been completed to certify the aircraft for night and instrument
flight.
* The aircraft also is currently
prohibited from flying close formation, aerobatics, and
stalls, all of which would normally be
in the familiarization phase of transition training".
* The F-35A does not yet have the
capability to train in these phases, nor any actual combat capability, because
it is still early in system development.
* Also, little can be learned from evaluating
training in a system this immature".
The radar, the pilot's helmet-mounted display
(HMD), and the cockpit interfaces for controlling the radios and navigational
functions should be improved.
The report also notes that the pilot escape system is not
yet reliable, especially if a pilot were to eject over water.
On the blog of the Project on Government Oversight (POGO),
Winslow Wheeler takes a closer [5]look[5]
at the full report under the headline:
"The Air Force's F-35A: Not Ready for Combat, Not Even Ready for Combat
Training."
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT
FOR $400 BILLION? SOMETHING THAT
WORKS?
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