F-35 USMC "BAD BOY" Lightning First landing on USS WASP
F-35 First vertical landing on USS WASP Oct 3 2011.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has decided to put the Marine Corps's F-35 jet on a two-year "probation" to give Lockheed Martin Corp. more time to demonstrate the fighter's reliability, according to two defense officials and a lawmaker.
Gates will announce the decision today (Jan 6th 2011) at a Pentagon news conference as part of his plan to save $102 billion in military spending through 2016, the officials said. Gates is proposing to make selective cuts and improve efficiency to free up money for priority weapons purchases and personnel.
Gates's probation proposal acknowledges "the reality of a lot of the difficulties that the Marine version's had," Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona said in interview. "Obviously, I want to look at the implications of it."