BRITAIN'S enemies
would dominate the skies in any future war because the latest batch of
supersonic fighter jets ordered by the British Government could be useless, a
host of military heroes, experts and politicians have warned.
The F-35 fighter jet, dubbed the most expensive weapon ever
made, is already outgunned by Vladimir Putin's airborne arsenal despite still
not being ready for use in the RAF and Royal Navy.
Britain is awaiting delivery of 42 of the stealth planes,
capable of travelling at 1199mph, by 2023, but top Pentagon weapons official
Michael Gilmore said it would be "dangerous" to let pilots fly the
planes because there have been shortcuts in the safety process.
The aircraft, believed to cost $1.5 trillion over its lifetime,
has experienced faults with its landing process, computerised controls and
clutch, as well as reportedly being outmanoeuvred by a 50-year-old aircraft
during a training drill in America.
Ukip's Mike Hookem MEP slammed the "failures" of the
Ministry of Defence to adequately protect Britain due to the fact it has
allegedly jeopardised her skies with substandard air protection.
He told Express.co.uk: "The latest revelations by the US
Department of Defence further deepens my concerns that the F35 programme may be
the biggest and most costly white elephant in military history.
“This $1.4 trillion programme has faced numerous problems
including engine fires; clutch burnouts on the vertical landing system;
software bugs in the 1 million lines of computer code; and poor manoeuvrability
against 50-year-old, 3rd generation fighter aircraft, to name just a few of the
issues.
“Having flown a simulator of the aircraft, I know the concept is
cutting edge; but the reality is, the engineering and software are simply not
working in practice, and may never do so.
He added: “As the world descends into a period of great
instability, it is critical the UK has the capabilities both on land and at
sea, offered by ‘next’ generation fighters that the US and the Russians are
already putting into service.
“But to me, the F35 is so far behind the curve, it may never be
fit for purpose and will do nothing more than present, future enemies, an
opportunity to dominate the skies in any future war.
“This is especially troublesome, as the MoD designed the new
Queen Elizabeth class carriers to have no contingency to launch aircraft via
catapult.
“This means the success of the QE Class carriers is entirely
dependent upon the successful implementation of the F35 programme; a situation
that is in grave doubt based on current evidence, and which could threaten the
security of the UK moving forward.
A decorated Falklands veteran is also slamming the Government's
decision to back the single seat aircraft.
Express.co.uk received a copy of an email sent to the
Parliamentary committee on defence by Commander Nigel David "Sharkey"
Ward, who shot down several Argentinian aircraft during his career.
It read: "According to practically all official United
States Department of Defence and other Government Reports, the F-35 ALIS
Computer Brain is still not working and, indeed, may never work
adequately.
"This threatens the global operability of the aircraft and
poses serious questions about the wisdom of the UK MoD putting all its misguided
eggs in one basket (I speak of course of our new carriers, which will have to
rely on this aircraft for air defence against all major air and missile threats
offshore).
This is just one of the several major shortfalls and hazards of
the aircraft programme; all of which I and the late Adm. Sir Sandy Woodward
took care to advise your predecessors in Office and Committee about in great
detail.
"It appears that our advice, that was based on proven
strike carrier operating experience and expertise was completely ignored by
vested interests and by land-based air personnel, nearly all of whom have/had
zero carrier operating experience and expertise.
YOU CAN WATCH THE VIDEOA BY THE LINK
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/734685/F-35-fighter-jet-Russia-Vladimir-Putin-Britain-Ministry-of-Defence-Mike-Hookem-Ukip?_ga=1.173110497.375305037.1479872655
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