Lockheed touting virtues of F-35 again

FORT WORTH, Texas, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin executives say critics of the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter still don't see the need for multi-role warplanes in U.S. military doctrine.

The aerospace giant has found itself in the odd position of having to once again "sell" the JSF project to the public several years after it won the contract for the $300 billion program, The Dallas Morning News reported Tuesday.

"We just assumed people understood the value proposition of the aircraft," said Dan Crowley, general manager of the Texas-based F-35 program. "We've launched a program where we're going to resell the JSF."

The new PR offensive comes as analysts assume F-35 production will be slowed down as the U.S. economy struggles.

The Morning News said critics of the F-35 say it doesn't particularly excel in any of its many roles; however, Crowley said times have changed and the U.S. military can no longer afford to design and build large numbers of planes designed for a specific task.

"The critics are thinking of a World War II or Vietnam situation," Crowley said.