F-35 Test and Evaluation Master Plan (TEMP) in jeopardy

The head of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) office recently informed the DOD F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program decision-makers  that a comprehensive testing plan known as the Test and Evaluation Master Plan (TEMP) will not be approved over questions of the troubled fighter program's progress, reports AOL Defense.

The DOD OT&E boss, Michael Gilmore wrote a memo dated 21 August to various DOD officials stating that the F-35 program leadership must specify how they will test the aircraft's electronic warfare capabilities, match up the flight testing program to funding as part of a credible plan and address concerns  about "overlap of developmental testing with the start of operational test activity".

Until he is satisfied on those matters, the TEMP will not be approved. AOL Defense also reports that Gilmore wrote that he won't approve the TEMP if it "imposes unrealistic and unachievable schedule risk" on operational testing.

While AOL Defense reports that Gilmore "does not have the authority to make programmatic decisions", this is no small matter.

Besides OT&E doing their job of warning about faulty DOD weapons test plans, the office is also performing continuous CYA in case the F-35 goes even more off the rails than it already has.

This also makes one wonder what the United States Marketing Corps boss, General Amos, is thinking if the jet is no where near being capable of operational test which is needed to have a usable go-to-war configured jet.