The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is by all accounts an awesome aircraft. Stealthy, speedy, and offered in three variants to satisfy the varied requirements of the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, it represents the future of fixed-wing aircraft for the U.S. military. As the Lockheed spokespersons emphasized at today's briefing on the plane, the F-35 will also be a major force in the international market. Understandably, we looked forward to learning some new information at today's "special event." And though my hopes for a juicy announcement went unfulfilled, Lockheed did manage to provide a surprising and alternative form of entertainment--as the saying goes, no plan survives initial contact with the enemy, or in this case, the public affairs staff.
The best art we've seen in Paris.
As we waited for the event to begin, the industry reps put on a short documentary chronicling the JSF's maiden flight. The dramatic music and camera-work was intended to tug at the heart strings--indeed, seeing this superb fighter airborne and performing basic maneuvers triggered thoughts of how not too long from now we might be watching the JSF perform at Le Bourget. A Lockheed executive said the video gave him chills. But this emotional roller coaster was far from over. The JSF is stunning, and apparently so much so that Lockheed commissioned nine paintings for each of the nine countries participating in the project. The paintings each depict "the role of the F-35 Lightning II JSF for that sovereign nation." When a Lockheed executive issued the command for "each artist to stand by their painting in preparation for a simultaneous unveiling," it didn't quite achieve the desired effect. Another blunder was the decision to have each artist shuffle out the door with his painting before proceeding with Air Force Brigadier General Charles Davis' remarks--the lengthy delay was awkward, but Davis took it in stride. The amusing antics over-with, General Davis presented a boiler-plate power point brief, basically informing us that the program is on track after a very successful year. One of the JSF's more impressive components that we heard about is the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine, which according to General Davis is "performing flawlessly." (Pratt & Whitney is sponsoring our coverage of the Paris Air Show.) But during the Q&A session, the press was focused on a single issue: the rising cost of the JSF program. General Davis explained that an annual 3-4 percent increase in the price of metals was largely responsible for the increase, but cynics were left wondering how component price volatility wasn't budgeted from the get-go, and others were dubious that the "affordability team" had any chance at keeping the situation under control. We were just happy this was the only art show we'd have to see in Paris.