President-elect Donald Trump is criticizing the pentagon’s new jet fighter. In a tweet, Trump calls the F-35 program out of control, and that billions of dollars will be saved once he takes office.
The F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2016
The jet engines for the F-35s are manufactured in Connecticut by Pratt and Whitney, one of the state’s largest employers.
Each F-35 costs $100 million, not including the engine. The program has long been criticized for cost overruns, delays and design flaws. Bill Hartung, defense analyst at the Center for International Policy, says the F-35 contract is also sprawling with jobs at stake in almost every state. Jobs that Congress will try to protect.
"The president will have to stand up to that, or have an alternative program to create jobs that would offset whatever losses in the industry," Hartung said.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, worries that not having the program will affect the superiority of the American military.
“The efforts to cut costs and waste are welcome, but the F-35 is essential to American air superiority in this century. And air power and superiority saves lives on the battlefield,” Blumenthal said.
An aerospace industry group responded to Trump's criticism by saying defense contracting is a very complex and nuanced process suggesting it can't be summed up in a tweet.
