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Pentagon

Lord Doesn’t Expect F-35 Full-Rate Production Decision To Slip Beyond March 2021, Despite JSE Test Delay

By Matthew Beinart

Thursday, August 20th, 2020

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Lord Doesn’t Expect F-35 Full-Rate Production Decision To Slip Beyond March 2021, Despite JSE Test Delay

Eilson AFB, Alaska received its first two Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning IIs on Apr. 21 (United States Air Force Photo)

The Pentagon’s top acquisition official said Thursday she does not expect a full-rate production decision for the F-35 to slip beyond March 2021 despite a delay in testing with the program’s new Joint Simulation Environment (JSE). “I am confident that we are going to meet the March date. We have the entire government-industry team focused on that,” Ellen Lord, the under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, told reporters. “There have been setbacks within the JSE from COVID. It…

Congress

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Budget

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Congress

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