McCain gives the F-35 program the bad news.

via Bloomberg (this is an interview with John McCain read it all here)...

“That leaves well over 2,000 to complete the program” so “we would have to purchase 100 F-35s per year for more than 20 years at a cost of $10 billion to $12 billion a year,” said McCain, an Arizona Republican. “That seems unlikely, and all that assumes the F-35 will provide the necessary capability.”

This is the most damning indictment of the F-35 and the Pentagons plan I've heard yet.  McCain is a hawk of hawks.  There isn't a military program that he doesn't like but he says "100 F-35s per year for more than 20 years at 10 to 12 billion per year"...in essence he's saying that they won't be able to push the cost curve down.  In other words the Pentagon and Program Office is feeding us bullshit.

But that's not even the worst of it.  Read it and weep fan boys...

"...assumes the F-35 will provide the necessary capability."

That should be chilling for F-35 supporters.  McCain has the secret information.. gets to peek behind the curtain and he is telling us that the F-35 isn't all that it's cracked up to be.  If you take the time to read the entire article, he makes a cleansing statement toward the end but those with eyes to see and a willingness to accept reality know the truth.

Critical mass has finally arrived.

The F-35 program isn't in a death spiral...it's in a flat spin headed out to sea.

Underreported Side Note:  We have word that the Singaporean Air Force has decided to upgrade its fleet of F-16s.  Story here.  This is another "admission" that the F-35 will not deliver on its promise.  Singapore is extremely frugal and are resistant to any pressure that LM might apply.  They're also brutal when it comes to dealing with corrupt officials...with the news that the Australian Senate is going to investigate the efficacy of purchasing the F-35, its turning into a terrible week for the airplane.