Acting US Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, shortly before leaving office in January, held a press conference during which he called the fifth-generation F-35 fighter " a piece of...". A transcript of the event was posted on the Pentagon's website.
The reporter asked him about the weapons, which are a mistaken acquisition of the department, and Miller told a story about his conversation with an American pilot. When the official asked the pilot what kind of plane he was flying, he replied that it was an F-35.
"I'm like, this is a piece.... And he... laughed, and I said, 'No, seriously, tell me about him,' "Miller said.
The Pentagon spokesman added that the pilot called the fighter "an incredible aircraft." At the same time, Miller said that "we have created a monster."
Former US President Donald Trump appointed Miller to the post in November 2020, but he resigned with the arrival of the new administration in January 2021.
On January 12, Bloomberg reported that the US military-industrial corporation Lockheed Martin has not eliminated 871 defects in the F-35 fighter, which was discovered earlier.
According to the annual report, the corporation eliminated only two defects in a year. The F-35 fighter was developed and introduced in April 2018, at which time 941 malfunctions were identified. It was noted that the identified defects may affect its combat readiness, maintenance and performance of tasks.
At the same time, the production of fighter jets continues and the corresponding program is actively supported in the US Congress and the team of the current American President Joe Biden. $398 billion has been allocated for the production of the F-35, and 970 of the planned 3,200 aircraft have already been produced for the needs of the United States and other countries.
Also in January, it became known that the Pentagon postponed the full-scale production of the fifth-generation F-35 fighter-bombers indefinitely. Combat tests were postponed from 2017. The Ministry of Defense will name a new date for conducting research after the fighters pass an independent technical examination.
