{"id":59191,"date":"2020-04-24T16:46:39","date_gmt":"2020-04-24T16:46:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/04\/24\/five-f-35-issues-have-been-downgraded-but-they-remain-unsolved\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:33:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:33:17","slug":"five-f-35-issues-have-been-downgraded-but-they-remain-unsolved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/04\/24\/five-f-35-issues-have-been-downgraded-but-they-remain-unsolved\/","title":{"rendered":"Five F-35 issues have been downgraded, but they remain unsolved"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 The F-35 Joint Program Office has put in place stopgap fixes for five key technical flaws plaguing America\u2019s top-end fighter jet, but the problems have not been completely eliminated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last June, Defense News reported exclusive details about 13 major technical issues<\/a>, known as category 1 deficiencies, impacting the F-35. The JPO has since quietly downgraded five of those issues to the lesser category 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A category 1 deficiency is defined as<\/a> a shortfall that could cause death, severe injury or illness; could cause loss or damage to the aircraft or its equipment; critically restricts the operator\u2019s ability to be ready for combat; prevents the jet from performing well enough to accomplish primary or secondary missions; results in a work stoppage at the production line; or blocks mission-critical test points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click here for more on the hidden troubles of the F-35.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In comparison, a category 2 deficiency is of lesser concern \u2014 something that requires monitoring, but not something that should impact operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But downgrading the category doesn\u2019t mean the problems are solved, said Dan Grazier, who tracks military issues for the Project on Government Oversight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CAT 2 programs are still “definitely cause for concern. They are going to have an impact on how the aircraft performs,\u201d Grazier said. “It really depends on what the issue is, but every design flaw has a potential issue on the mission. … You want to not have flaws, you want these things can be fixed so pilots can get out and do what they need to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside from a few basic statements on which projects were downgraded to CAT 2, a JPO spokesperson said the office \u201ccannot disclose any information about how these deficiencies were resolved or downgraded due to their security classification.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ALIS sovereign data transfer solution does not meet information assurance requirements.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Autonomic Logistics Information System, or ALIS, provides the backbone of the F-35, used by the aircraft\u2019s operators in virtually all stages<\/a> of flying and sustaining the Joint Strike Fighter. The system is used to plan and debrief missions, order spare parts, walk maintainers through repairs, and view technical data and work orders. (A potential replacement, named ODIN, is in the works<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But some international partners on the F-35 program have expressed concerns that data flowing through ALIS to the United States government \u2014 and to Lockheed Martin \u2014 could give both the U.S. military and the American defense contractor a window into that country\u2019s flight operations, including when and where its F-35s are flying.<\/p>\n\n\n\t