The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) nearly endorsed a
move that could end Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter — and
the effort may continue.

The committee’s top Republican, John McCain (Ariz.), sponsored the
language, offered during the panel’s markup of its defense
authorization measure for fiscal 2012.


The proposal died there on a 13-13 vote before the committee approved
the markup last week, but McCain has raised the prospect of trying
again later with all senators.


Under the move, if at the end of 2011 the cost of the JSF purchased
under the current Lot 4 contract ran 10% more than the target price,
the amendment would have put the Pentagon’s largest weapon system on
probation. Then, if the program continued to run at a 10% cost
overrun
one year later, the only money that could be spent thereafter would
be
to fund program cancellation costs, the proposal stipulates.


“If this weapon system continues to have horrific cost overruns, as
it
has, then we’ve got to end it,” McCain says, adding that he plans to
revisit the idea when the annual defense policy bill comes to the
Senate floor. Even then, the Senate’s bill must be reconciled with a
version already passed by the House before going to the White House
for enactment or to be vetoed."

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/gener...20JSF%20Threat

McCains a weird one!