F-35: The Stripped Down Version

The Pentagon will end up paying Lockheed Martin Corp. between $95 million and $131 million for each next generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jet -- or 60 percent to 90 percent more than the original advertised sticker price.

But that hefty tab will not include fire extinguishers.

Of course, an advanced jet does not use fire extinguishers. The F-35 was supposed to have fire suppression systems, which, for the most part, were eliminated to save weight and cost, according to J. Michael Gilmore the Defense Department's director of operational test and evaluation at Defense.

Gilmore told a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday that the F-35 program office decided to cut costs and shave weight by eliminating the systems in all areas of the aircraft (except the engines).

The office also eliminated another fire-safety gadget: fuses on fuel hydraulic lines. Together the two omissions have increased the threat of fire if the plane is hit by an ordinance in combat. They also make the F-35 "more vulnerable to typical noncombat fires caused by fuel leaks and other system failures," Gilmore told the committee.

Gilmore testified that he remains "concerned regarding the aircraft's vulnerability to threat-induced and safety-related fires."

I have asked the Air Force and the Pentagon how much money it saved by eliminating the fire suppression systems on a project that will now cost $323 billion for 2,450 aircraft. I have not heard back.

At that whopping price tag, one would hope money could be found to provide F-35s with a factory installed fire suppression system, because I don't think there are many aftermarket suppliers.

Maybe the Pentagon should eliminate the power windows and door locks, too.