To the Point
Is the US Building an "Airplane to Nowhere"?
The F-35 fighter-bomber was grounded again this week — the most expensive weapons system in history is too dangerous to fly. Is the F-35 a high-tech requirement for future warfare, or a pork-barrel project that will be obsolete when it finally gets off the ground?
By Warren Olney • • 52m ListenThe F-35 fighter-bomber was grounded again this week — the most expensive weapons system in history is too dangerous to fly. A supersonic “stealth” aircraft with different versions for the Navy, Air Force and Marines, the F-35 was purchased before it was tested. After multiple failures, the cost is now $400 billion, with the House and Senate providing even more than the Pentagon is asking for. Is the F-35 a high-tech requirement for future warfare, or a pork-barrel project that will be obsolete when it finally gets off the ground?
Also, Bashar al Assad is sworn in for another 7 years as Syria's president, and Israel’s Netanyahu finally speaks his mind.
Banner Image: The U.S. Navy variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the F-35C, conducts a test flight over the Chesapeake Bay.
