在彭博社上周獲得的一份8月9日的備忘錄中， 五角大樓的測試主任邁克爾·吉爾默寫道，下一代F-35戰斗機的開發項目，“可能無法按時交付”飛機的全部功能。開發商洛克希德目前宣布的最終期限是2018年。F-35項目的總成本已經增加到超過1萬億美元。

吉爾默似乎是在反駁美國空軍的一則公告。這則公告中聲稱這款飛機已做好戰斗準備。他寫道，按照當前的狀態，“由于尚未解決的性能缺陷和有限的武器掛載能力”，F-35戰斗機需要舊機型戰斗機的支持，才能“鎖定和避免現代威脅、捕獲目標，與敵方戰機編隊交火”。

目前該飛機存在的問題包括依舊會以穩定的頻率出現的軟件問題，吉爾默寫道，軟件問題會干擾目標識別、戰斗機之間的通信和雷達信號偵測。后者尤其重要，因為訂購F-35主要看中的就是其隱身能力。

該飛機軟件“Block 3i”目前的版本，也導致飛機前置機槍無法使用。吉爾默還寫到，飛行測試已經“遠遠落后于”預定計劃。飛機的操作測試原計劃在2018年開始。

軍方和洛克希德的代表堅稱，他們早已知道備忘錄中列出的問題，并且正在尋找解決辦法。洛克希德的發言人稱，開發工作仍在順利進行，將在2017年底完成，而美國空軍部長德博拉·李·詹姆斯強調稱，“未來幾年”將繼續對這款飛機的研發工作。

F-35計劃啟動以來，特別是成本的迅速增加，使F-35一直都是爭議的焦點。2010年，美國參議院撥款委員會（Senate Appropriations Committee）寫道，該項目表明“對國防預算流程缺乏有效的控制”。由于這款飛機在與舊型號F-16的模擬空中格斗中并不占優，因此它一直被形容為比較早機型的機動性更差。（財富中文網）

譯者：劉進龍/汪皓

In an August 9th memo obtained by Bloomberg last week, the Pentagon’s director of testing, Michael Gilmore, wrote that the program to develop the next-generation F-35 fighter jet is “on a path toward failing to deliver” the plane’s full capabilities in time. Developer Lockheed’s current deadline is 2018. The total cost of the F-35 program has risen to more than $1 trillion dollars.

Gilmore also seemed to contradict an Air Force announcement that its version of the plane was combat-ready, writing that in its current state, the F-35 would need support from older craft to “locate and avoid modern threats, acquire targets, and engage formations of enemy fighter aircraft due to outstanding performance deficiencies and limited weapons carriage available.”

The current issues with the plane include software problems which continue to surface at a steady rate, and which Gilmore wrote interfere with target identification, communications between aircraft, and radar signal detection. The latter would be particularly significant, since the F-35 is prominently billed for its stealth capabilities.

The current version of the plane’s software, known as “Block 3i,” also leaves the plane’s front-mounted machine gun unusable. Gilmore also wrote that flight testing has fallen “far behind” schedule. Operational testing of the plane is scheduled to begin in 2018.

Representatives of the military and Lockheed insisted that the memo outlined issues that were already well-understood and were being addressed. Lockheed’s spokesman said that development was still on track for completion in late 2017, while Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James emphasized that the plane would continue to develop further over “the next several years.”

The F-35 has been the repeated subject of controversy since the inception of the program, particularly over rapidly escalating costs. In 2010, the Senate Appropriations Committee wrote that the program showed “the lack of proper control in the defense budget process.” The plane itself has been described asless maneuverable than older fighters, operating at a disadvantage in a simulated dogfight with the older F-16.