McCain calls F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program a 'tragedy'

Ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Monday called the troubled F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jet program a "scandal" and "tragedy," and demanded greater accountability for the weapons system's maker, Lockheed Martin. 

"The Joint Strike Fighter program has been both a scandal and a tragedy," said McCain from the Senate floor Monday. "[W]e are saddled with a program has little to show for itself after 10 years and $56 billion in taxpayer investment that has produced less than 20 test and operational aircraft."

In his speech McCain sketched the 10-year history of the embattled program, describing mechanical problems and budget overruns that have plagued development. The senior senator from Arizona also argued that the aircraft's manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, has charged the U.S. taxpayer vast sums for fixing problems that were in fact its own fault or that should have been included in original budget estimates. 

"Lockheed Martin must be held increasingly accountable for cost overruns that come as a result of wringing out necessary changes in the design and manufacturing process for this incredibly expensive aircraft," said McCain.