Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-22 Raptor

A YF-22 is unveiled at the Lockheed plant in Palmdale in 1990. (Larry Bessel / Los Angeles Times)

June 14, 2013 11:59 AM PT

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Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-22 is the most lethal fighter jet in the world. But it has also become a symbol of a broken procurement process that is failing to deliver advanced weapons systems on time, on budget and in sufficient quantities.

Steve Smith, former Northrop head of engineering and head of the YF-23 division, looks at the underside of the Northrop YF-23, which lost the competition with Lockheed to build a fighter jet for the armed services. The YF-23 was put on display by the Western Air Museum at Torrance Municipal Airport. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

Lockheed’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, a nearly $400-billion system, is headed in the same direction as the F-22, falling behind schedule, encountering serious software problems and suffering sharp cost growth. Air Force Staff Sgts. Brad Anthis, left, and Jonny Hirata (cq), right, check the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter as it is prepared for flight during testing at Edwards on March 19, 2013. The numerous decals fixed to the side of the jet are used to monitor flight and payload performance by video during testing. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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