The chairman of the Armed Services Committee of the US House of Representatives, Adam Smith, called the fifth generation fighter Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II a rat hole, Popular Mechanics reports.
According to the Democrat, this aircraft should be replaced with others. According to the chairman of the committee, the Pentagon should cut costs for the F-35 Lightning II. “I want to stop throwing money into this rat hole,” the politician said.
According to Smith, the costs of maintaining the F-35 Lightning II are too high and are unlikely to be cut in a reasonable amount of time.
Popular Mechanics notes that the congressman represents the area in the state of Washington, which houses the Boeing company, which produces, in particular, the F-15EX Eagle and F / A-18E / F Super Hornet fighters.
The publication admits that Smith, claiming excessive spending on the F-35 Lightning II, is right, but notes that too many countries have already purchased this fighter, as a result of which the program is unlikely to be scrapped.
“The Pentagon, by choosing one glider to replace four different gliders, has cornered itself, defense contractors, taxpayers and America's foreign allies,” the magazine writes.
In January, Christopher Miller, while serving as US Secretary of Defense, called the F-35 Lightning II program a piece of crap.
