Fighter jet program faces budget blowout
Updated
There has been further criticism of budget blowouts and delays in the joint strike fighter program
There has been more criticism of the Joint Strike Fighter program in the US, with concerns raised about budget blowouts and delays.
A report from a US congressional watchdog, the Government Accountability Office, says the cost of the program has increased by $46 billion and development is two-and-a-half years behind schedule.
Australia is planning to buy up to 100 of the F-35s but the report says there is a substantial risk that Lockheed Martin will not be able to build them on time.
US under-secretary of defence for acquistition Ashton Carter has told the Senate Armed Services Committee he knows the delays are unacceptable.
"We're asking you to pay more than we said that you were going to have to pay. That's unacceptable," he said.
The chairman of the committee, Carl Levin, says it is a dismal outlook.
"The facts are painful, because you got a 60 to 90 per cent increase in the projected cost of each plane," he said.
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