The president’s 2024 budget request would opt to modernize the engine for the F-35 fighter jet instead of looking for a replacement.
Joint Strike Fighter
Posted inNews, Politics
F-35 lobbying war unleashed by Pentagon’s bid to buy rival fighter
While the Pentagon says it’s not a competitor to the F-35, the rebirth of the F-15 could cost jobs in Connecticut.
Posted inPolitics
DoD, Lockheed Martin agreement cuts price of F-35
WASHINGTON — Under pressure from President Donald Trump to cut the cost of the F-35 program, the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin announced Friday they had reached agreement to lower the cost on the 10th lot of fighter jets by $728 million.
Posted inPolitics
Lockheed Martin CEO tells Trump deal is near on F-35s
WASHINGTON — “I’m glad I had the opportunity to tell him that we are close to a deal that will bring the cost down significantly from the previous lot of aircraft to the next lot of aircraft,” CEO Marillyn Hewson told reporters at Trump Tower.
Posted inPolitics
McCain blasts DOD, Lockheed Martin for new F-35 delays
WASHINGTON — Sen. John McCain on Tuesday blasted the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin for a seven-month delay in the F-35 program that will cost the Pentagon an additional $500 million.
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Analyst: Trump’s idea for F-35 would be ‘a disaster for the U.S.’
WASHINGTON — While President-elect Donald Trump is unhappy about the cost of Lockheed Martin’s F-35, replacing it with a cheaper jet would face serious problems, defense analysts and Connecticut’s lawmakers say. Loren Thompson, a defense analyst with the Lexington Institute, called Trump’s idea “a disaster for the United States” that would hurt the nation’s military strength.
Posted inPolitics
Larson makes big push for more F-35 fighter jets
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. John Larson is spearheading a push to substantially boost defense budget spending on additional F-35 fighter jets, but success is not assured.
Posted inPolitics
Senate defense bill holds the line on F-35s, Black Hawks
WASHINGTON — A Senate defense panel has been far less generous to Connecticut defense programs than it’s counterpart in the House, which had boosted the number of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter planes and doubled the number of Black Hawk helicopters the Pentagon had asked for.
Posted inNews
Pentagon blames Pratt & Whitney suppliers for F-135 engine problems
WASHINGTON — The quality of the F-135 engine made by Pratt & Whitney – and the company’s supply chain – came under scrutiny Tuesday by a key Senate panel as part of a review of the status of the problem-plagued Joint Strike Fighter program.
Posted inPolitics
Defense spending, permanent R&D tax break benefit CT firms
A hyper-busy Congress accomplished this week much of what it wasn’t able to do all year.
Posted inPolitics
Pentagon’s chief of F-35 program says engine problem is fixed
WASHINTON — A top Air Force general said problems with the Pratt & Whitney engine on the F-35 advanced fighter have been fixed, and all of the planes will have newly engineered engines by June of next year.
Posted inPolitics
Federal watchdogs knock Pentagon, Pratt on F-35 engine
WASHINGTON — Federal investigators Monday detailed a number of problems with Pratt & Whitney’s F135 engine program for the F-35 fighter jet and urged the Pentagon to be a better watchdog of the program.
Posted inNews
F-35 program facing new challenges
WASHINGTON – Lockheed Martin, maker of the F-35, whose engines are produced by Pratt & Whitney, recently held a glitzy reception in the atrium of the Rayburn House Office Building, complete with a buffet and the chance to “fly” the F-35 in a cockpit simulator, to press home a point — don’t cut funding for the program. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter faces a host of challenges.
Posted inPolitics
CT lawmakers big joiners of special-interest caucuses
WASHINGTON – Interested in wine, soccer, bicycles or corrosion prevention? In Congress there’s a caucus for that. In fact there are more than 700 member organizations, most of them informal, and Connecticut’s lawmakers are some of the biggest joiners.