More problems with billion dollar F-35s

The Huffington Post:

It seems that the F-35, the fighter jets that Canada is planning on buying to replace our aging F-18s, are running into more trouble.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that the plane's power systems are failing in ground tests forcing the entire fleet to be grounded. The story also points out that the planes have had two other serious delays in the last year.

In 2010, the government announced that it would be buying about 65 planes at a cost of about $9-billion. The cost could rise to $18-billion once a maintenance contract was included. But earlier this year, the parliamentary budget officer estimated that the cost of the planes would likely be much higher, closer to $30-billion. Canada's purchase of the F-35 became a major issue in the last federal election, with then-Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff vowing to scrap the deal and hold a competition.

Critics have condemned the Canadian government for rushing into a contract for the jets without knowing the final cost.

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