Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Arizona)Â has said his committee will continue to prioritize efforts to streamline the defense acquisition process in response to updates provided by the Defense Department on the F-35 fighter jet program.
Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall said in a Dec. 19 response letter to the Senate panel’s questions that DoD expects another seven-month delay in the program’s system development and demonstration phase and a cost overrun of more than $500 million, McCain’s office said Tuesday.
“With this latest delay, I am deeply concerned about the department’s current plan for Follow-on Modernization,” McCain said.
“If the department continues to repeat the mistakes of the past, more delays, more cost overruns, and increased retrofit costs will be the inevitable result.â€
Kendall said in the letter that a delay in the SDD phase, which is expected to conclude in May 2018, may impact the FoM program.
He also called on Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson through a letter to disclose to Congress the company’s plans on how it will reduce the cost of the F-35 program.
McCain’s remarks come weeks after Hewson gave President-elect Donald Trump her “personal commitment†to drive down the fighter aircraft’s cost.
