Lockheed’s F-35 fighter jet is the most expensive weapon ever built by the US, and may be a waste of taxpayer dollars

BY Rob Lorei

On Radioactivity Friday, we looked at the development of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jet, a multirole military aircraft that will supposedly herald in  a new generation of military aircraft designed to replace older fighter jets. At the cost of $379 Billion dollars, it is the most expensive piece of military equipment ever made, but many within the defense community are saying that there are engineering defects that will compromise its performance and even the lives of its pilots. Joining us to talk more about the project was Dan Grazier from the Center for Defense Information, a DC-based think thank that focuses on issues regarding the military. Its Straus Military Reform Project has been following problems that have plagued the F-35 project.