F-35 programme chiefs are turning to independent engineering experts at US universities, as they search for a cure to the technical challenges that have disrupted the schedule for full-rate production.
This development comes as one influential member of the House of Representatives described the long-running programme as a financial ‘rathole’.
The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) commissioned an independent assessment of the Joint Simulation Environment (JSE), a planned state-of-the-art simulator required to complete initial operational testing of the stealth fighter.
JPO spokesperson Laura Seal said: ‘The JSE independent technical assessment is being executed by a team of software subject