The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is now widely considered to be the most advanced jet fighter on the planet. It is designed to strike enemies in the air and on the ground without being detected by radar. However, Australia’s commitment to this project has been met with scrutiny as experts and senior US politicians have raised serious questions about its efficacy and safety.
After a decade of arduous development, this aircraft is still over budget and many years behind schedule. A renowned expert even went so far as to describe it as “big, fat and draggy”. In an attempt to uncover answers, reporter Andrew Fowler travelled to the United States where he visited Lockheed Martin’s top secret factory in Texas before securing a rare interview with the Pentagon’s head man on the project. His candid assessment of JSF was rather alarming: “Let’s make no mistake about it. This program still has risks, technical risks, it has cost issues, it has problems we’ll have to fix in the future.”
This year Canada was taken aback when its own purchase of 65 Joint Strike Fighters was found to be grossly underestimated in terms of cost. Consequently, they were forced into an open tender process which suspended all further purchases until their findings can be properly assessed.
For anyone fascinated by this controversial aircraft or intrigued by its long-running development process, then Andrew Fowler’s documentary provides an invaluable insight into this story from start-to-finish. With exclusive access granted inside Lockheed Martin’s secretive factory and a revealing interview with one of America’s leading military personnel, this feature offers much more than just facts – but also a comprehensive understanding of why such decisions are made and what lies ahead for the F-35 project and beyond. Don’t miss out on your chance to experience all that this remarkable documentary has to offer – tune in now!
