F-35

[pipz]

One caught on fire apparently.   

[Devil 505]

Was it in a dumpster? Seems appropriate  .

[DaveBB]

Let's try to be objective in this thread rather than subjective. 

The cause of the fire in the preliminary investigation is strong tailwinds while the jet engine was starting.  Now fires in turbine aircraft are not uncommon.  I know the UH-1 Huey had problems with turbine fires as it spooled up.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/25/back_end_flameout_roasts_f35_on_runway/

[Serenity]

Let's try to be objective in this thread rather than subjective. 

The cause of the fire in the preliminary investigation is strong tailwinds while the jet engine was starting.  Now fires in turbine aircraft are not uncommon.  I know the UH-1 Huey had problems with turbine fires as it spooled up.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/25/back_end_flameout_roasts_f35_on_runway/

GTS fires aren't common for us, but they're certainly not unheard of either.

[SIK1]

Time will tell. If the F35 gets the time is another argument all together.
I remember hearing the same sort of things when the F16 was introduced. My Dad had worked for General Dynamics, and had done some work on the F16 project. The F16 had an awful release with many crashes, and even pilot deaths. It was just to technologically advanced The program was using to many new and untried systems it was said. Every issue was reported in the news papers. Not to mention the cost over runs and production delays.
Now, I can't tell you that they were of the same magnitude or not, because I was just 12-13 y.o. when the F16 was introduced, but it does sound awful familiar. 
Personally, I believe that even if the F-35 design turns out to be a good one, drones will eventually over shadow it, and it  will be an inconsequential foot note in history.

 
Sik

[Zimme83]

Problem is that F-35 should have been fully operational now, U.S fighter fleet is getting old and demands more and more maintenance to stay in the air and its still 10 years before we will see any greater number of F-35:s in operational units. There are no more time for delays.

[GScholz]

It took 23 years from the first prototype was ordered in 1983 until the first Eurofighter Typhoon squadron was declared operational in 2006. It took 22 years from the first prototype was ordered in 1982 until the first Dassault Rafale squadron was declared operational in 2004. These are the only currently operational combat aircraft that come anywhere near to the F-35 in design complexity. The JSF development contract was signed by Lockheed Martin and Boeing in 1996 and the first F-35B squadron was declared operational in 2015, 19 years later. The First F-35A squadron was declared operational in 2016, after 20 years. Though the planned timeline may have been overly optimistic the development time of the F-35 cannot be said to have been excessive.

[Gman]

Speaking of the F16 loses in development, I watched a documentary last week on the F14 development program - they lost several planes in the early years too.  Same with many other current gen 4 types.  Even the F22 had that crash where the controls flipped out and it pancaked into the runway on takeoff.  The F35 - no crashes, no deaths, a couple of ground fires yes, but that's it, and that's with a couple hundred or more built already.

Good article from the maintainers of the F35 that just came out -

http://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/heres-what-the-people-who-fly-and-fix-the-f-35-have-to-say-about-historys-most-expensive-weapons-system

[GScholz]

Good article. More and more people work with the jet, and more people share their informed opinions on it. I think history will come down on the side of the F-35 proponents. Leaving the vocal opposition a mere footnote, if that. Or perhaps as a warning to future programs on the treacherous nature of mass media in the information age.