Turns Out F-35 Is Fully Mission Capable only some of the Time
The watchdog said the mission-capable rate fell from 38% to 25% as spare-parts shortages and software issues left more jets grounded.
- According to a GAO report released last week, the military's F-35 fighter jets are fully mission capable only 25% of the time, a sharp decline from 38% in 2021.
- Maintenance challenges including spare-parts shortages and software problems have grounded too many F-35s for extended periods, as the GAO identified excessive repair backlogs.
- The Pentagon requested over $21 billion for 85 additional F-35s for fiscal year 2027, despite lifetime acquisition and sustainment costs projected to exceed $2 trillion.
- Policy analyst Gabe Murphy of Taxpayers for Common Sense argued Congress should not pay for a single new F-35 until the Pentagon and contractors make existing planes work.
- In response, the F-35 Joint Program Office launched an updated sustainment strategy aiming for a 65% full mission capable rate by 2030, supporting recommendations to improve contract incentive structures.
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Only a quarter of US F-35s were fully mission-capable last year as maintenance and parts problems dragged down readiness, watchdog reports
The F-35 is the world's costliest weapons program, and its readiness rates have been continually slipping in recent years.US Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Trent A. HenryOnly one in four US F-35 fighters was fully mission-capable las year, according to a new report.The GAO said readiness rates have been decreasing in recent years due to maintenance and spare parts issues.Efforts to improve readiness rates haven't yielded results.The US fleet of F-35…
Turns out F-35 is fully mission capable only some of the time
The U.S.’ most expensive military program to date has fielded a fighter jet that simply doesn’t work most of the time. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released last week found the military’s F-35 fighter jets are only fully mission capable — meaning they can perform all assigned missions — about 25% of the time. That is a steep drop from 2021, when the jets were fully mission capable about 38% of the time. The F-35’s mission capa…
Donald Trump's F-35 fighter jets seem to be unable to meet their targets – while manufacturer Lockheed Martin still collects millions of awards.
The F-35 Lightning II is the most expensive military investment in US history. Despite this, combat readiness for all three versions remains low and continues to decline. Could the Polish F-35A Husarz face a similar challenge?
Of that amount, some 7 billion will depend directly on the industry’s ability to supply additional parts and materials in the coming years. GAO warns that there are significant risks to the success of this strategy, especially due to dependence on the private sector, limitations on industrial capacity and growing international demand for spare parts as the number of F-35 operating countries increases.Critical to Lockheed Martin and the incentive…
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