Top Pentagon officials are about to consider a new course for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter that includes delaying the fielding by two years. The adjustments are merely the latest ripple stemming from the Pentagon's realization last year that the fighter is overweight. Managers have opted to spend more time and money early in the development program to tackle the weight problem which is impacting, in particular, the short takeoff and vertical landing (Stovl) version. Program officials had already delayed design reviews and indicated first flights of the various models would incur schedule slips. The move will further complicate deliberations for British military planners at a tune when they are reviewing which version of the multirole fighter to buy. If the U.K. bows out of the Stovl version, it would buy the carrier-based configuration instead.
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