F-35 IOC may be Delayed

When Sen. Kelly Ayotte and her supporters blocked retirement of the A-10 fleet it’s not likely they knew the F-35 program might suffer.

But that’s exactly what Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, head of the huge F-35 program, told reporters this afternoon that will happen unless something changes.

In the conference room where the F-35 program makes its biggest decisions two signs mark the wall. They count down the days to Initial Operational Capability of the F-35 for the Marines and for the Air Force: 244 days for the Marines and 641 for the Air Force.

While the Marine date is still doable — though Bogdan concedes it will be tight — the Air Force date is the most threatened.

“Up until today, things were looking pretty good,” Bogdan told us.

For those who don’t follow this stuff on a regular basis, IOC means a military service believes the weapons it has bought are ready for use if needed.

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