Analyst Warns F-35 Needs To Stay On Track | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Wed, Feb 20, 2008

Analyst Warns F-35 Needs To Stay On Track

Lockheed Risks Funding Cuts If Problems Continue

Lockheed Martin has tried to reassure the public and its shareholders that recent problems with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's Pratt & Whitney engines are just growing pains, common in development of new aircraft. But those same shareholders recently heard a JP Morgan analyst warn those problems threaten the program's funding.

In a note to investors cited by Reuters, Joe Nadol wrote "While this failure in and of itself should not be viewed as a serious issue, the repeated delays that the program has experienced, particularly those due to the propulsion system, are collectively becoming a potentially damaging problem. We believe that F-35 development execution needs to improve quickly or the program could become a source of funds for other priorities."

The Air Force has said it needs $20 billion a year more than the Bush administration has proposed over the next five years, to keep its fleet up to date and ready despite the wear and tear of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The F-35 is planned for production of over 2,400 aircraft for the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, and for US allies. The F-35 represents $300 billion to its builders over its 28-year lifespan, and is considered a major component in Lockheed Martin's profitability over the next 20 years.

Lockheed says the program remains on track, and its investors apparently were not panicked by Nadol's remarks. The stock's price has held steady near $107 per share for the past week, and Pratt & Whitney parent United Technologies has maintained at about $71 dollars.

FMI: www.jsf.mil

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (07.10.25): Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) [ICAO]

Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) [ICAO] Area navigation based on performance requirements for aircraft operating along an ATS route, on an instrument approach procedure or in a d>[...]

NTSB Prelim: Cessna 172

The Airplane Came To Rest Underneath A Set Of Damaged Power Distribution Lines On The Floor Of A Coulee On June 19, 2025, at 1412 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172K airplane, N7>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.10.25)

Aero Linx: FAA Managers Association (FAAMA) Recognized by the FAA, FAAMA is a professional association dedicated to the promotion of excellence in public service. The Association i>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: The Big Business of Diminutive Powerplants

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Jet Central Micro-Turbine Engines Impress Founded in the late-1990s, Mexico City-based Jet Central produces a unique and fascinating line of micro-turb>[...]

Airborne 07.11.25: New FAA Bos, New NASA Boss (Kinda), WB57s Over TX

Also: ANOTHER Illegal Drone, KidVenture Educational Activities, Record Launches, TSA v Shoes The Senate confirmed Bryan Bedford to become the next Administrator of the FAA, in a ne>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC