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by Tom Burbage (Author), Betsy Clark (Author), Adrian Pitman (Author)
The inside story of the most expensive and controversial military program in history, as told by those who lived it.
The F-35 has changed allied combat warfare. But by the time it's completed, it will cost more than the Manhattan Project and the B-2 Stealth Bomber. It has been subject to the most aggressive cyberattacks in history from China, Russia, North Korea, and others. Its stealth technology required nearly 9 million lines of code; NASA's Curiosity Mars rover required 2.5 million. And it was this close to failure. F-35 is the only inside look at the most advanced aircraft in the world and the historic project that built it, as told by those who were intimately involved in its design, testing, and production. Based on the authors' personal experience and over 100+ interviews, F-35 pulls back the curtain on one of the most heavily criticized government programs in history from start to finish: the dramatic flights that won Lockheed Martin the contract over Boeing; the debates and decisions over capabilities; feats of software, hardware, and aeronautical engineering that made it possible; how the project survived the Nunn-McCurdy breach; the conflicts among all three branches of the U.S. military, between the eight other allied nation partners, and against spy elements from enemies. For readers of Skunk Works by Ben Rich and The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes, F-35 will pique the interest of airplane enthusiasts, defense industry insiders, military history aficionados, political junkies, and general nonfiction readers.Author Biography
Tom Burbage was the Executive Vice President and General Manager of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program. In that position, he led the Concept Demonstration Phase and Lockheed Martin's competitive selection as the Prime Contractor in October 2001. He then led the first decade of the program design, development, test and production. Prior to his assignment on the F-35, he led the F-22 Raptor development program and was the President of the Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems Company. Before joining Lockheed Martin, Tom was a Naval Aviator, completing the US Navy Test Pilot School and accumulating more than 3,000 flight hours in 38 different types of military aircraft. He received a bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering from the US Naval Academy and holds master's degrees in Aeronautical Systems from the University of West Florida and Business Administration from UCLA.
Betsy Clark has had a front-row seat to the F-35 Program and has watched it evolve over the past 12 years. She first became involved as a member of a review team from the US Department of Defense in 2010 and has participated in eight additional reviews, providing independent advice to the Australian Defense Department on the status of the program. Betsy began her career in 1979 after earning her doctorate in cognitive psychology. Betsy has spent the past 35 years studying large, complex software development projects and has reviewed countless defense projects in the US and Australia. Adrian Pitman was the Director of Acquisition Engineering Improvement in the Australian Defence Materiel Organization (DMO) when he was tasked in 2011 to lead an independent Australian review of the F-35 Program prior to Australia formally committing to buy the first 14 of 100 F-35 aircraft. Adrian subsequently participated in a total of nine F-35 reviews, up until 2015. Adrian has spent 55 years of military service in the Royal Australian Air Force and the Australian Department of Defence. Over this time, he has worked or been associated with, five generations of British, French and USA jet fighter aircraft operated by the Royal Australian Air Force.
