第一架生产型F-35公开展示

    作者：卡特琳·哈灵顿 简氏周刊记者 华盛顿，哥伦比亚特区

    （生产型）F-35联合打击战斗机（JSF）的第一次飞行本来预定在八月进行，可能向后推迟在十二月时候，F-35计划办公室的副执行官准将查尔斯·戴维斯告诉简氏周刊。

    戴维斯称JSF将会或许在10月31日没有为第一次飞行做好准备-在主承包商洛克希德·马丁公司的官员提到的最新日期。2,760亿美元的JSF计划是美国国防部（DoD）花钱最多采购的历史记录。

    戴维斯估计在生产中的一年迟延能够增加每架飞机成本从4千万美元到6千万美元，取决于型号和生产计划的时间安排。

    另一个隐藏在后面问题是美国空军在等侯JSF到生产线的时候可能考虑可供选择的方法去推进它的空中优势战斗机的详细目录。克里斯托夫·伯克姆，一位国会研究办公室的防卫专家，警告如果空军决定去集中时间和精力在一种备选方案飞机的生产-例如F-22“猛禽”或F-15 E+“超级鹰”（Super Eagle）-它会降低来自JSF的清单和可能促成进一步的迟延。

    附原文供对照参考：

JSF first flight delayed again

By Caitlin Harrington JDW Staff Reporter
Washington, DC

The first flight of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), originally scheduled to take place in August, could be pushed back as late as December, Brigadier General Charles Davis, Program Executive Officer for the F-35 Program Office, has told Jane's.

Gen Davis said the JSF will probably not be ready for first flight on 31 October - the most recent date to be cited by officials at prime contractor Lockheed Martin. The USD276 billion JSF programme is the most expensive acquisition in the US Department of Defense's (DoD) history.

Gen Davis estimated that a one-year delay in production could add anywhere from USD4 million to USD6 million to the cost of each aircraft, depending on the variant and the timing in the production schedule.

Another issue lurking in the background is the possibility that the US Air Force may consider alternative ways to boost its inventory of air superiority fighters while it is waiting for JSF to come on line. Christopher Bolkcom, a Congressional Research Service defence expert, warned that if the air force decides to focus time and energy on the production of an alternative aircraft - such as the F-22 Raptor or the F-15E+ Super Eagle - it would detract resources from JSF and possibly contribute to further delays.

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