Image source: topwar.ru
The F-35 fighter remains one of the most expensive US weapons, while its operational performance does not reach its set goals, and maintenance costs continue to rise. In 2025, the agency launched a new strategy worth $ 13.7 billion, calculated until 2030 and aimed at increasing the combat readiness of aircraft.
Starting in 2021, the cost of operating the F-35 continues to increase, while key readiness indicators decrease. Over the period from fiscal year 2021 to 2025, the level of overall combat readiness, reflecting the proportion of time during which the aircraft is able to perform at least one of the assigned tasks, decreased from 67 to 44 percent. The indicator of full combat readiness, which characterizes the aircraft's ability to perform the full range of planned missions, decreased from 38 to 25 percent.
In response to the deteriorating situation, the F-35 Joint Program Management updated the aircraft operations strategy by introducing the Global Support Solution Reset program. Its implementation will require an additional $13.7 billion over and above previously planned expenditures until fiscal year 2031. The new program provides solutions to already known problems, including a shortage of spare parts and significant dependence on contractors.
However, the fulfillment of the assigned tasks is accompanied by a number of serious risks. The implementation of the program will require the participation of the private sector, which must supply additional components and materials worth over $ 7 billion. At the same time, production restrictions on a number of critical parts remain. At the same time, the total cost of operating the F-35 continues to increase.
It is estimated that by the mid-2030s, the American armed forces will annually face a gap of more than $ 1 billion between the projected cost of maintaining the F-35 fleet and the acceptable cost level. Although the new strategy is seen as an important step towards solving the accumulated problems, achieving its goals will require the development of additional risk management measures.
Special attention is paid to the financial incentive system for contractors. Since 2020, they have been paid hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses for improving aircraft availability, but this mechanism has not provided the expected results. One of the reasons was that rewards were awarded for indicators that did not always meet the requirements of the types of the US armed forces. Further adjustments to the incentive system will avoid situations in which contractors receive additional payments without significantly affecting the achievement of the program's goals.
The F-35 plays a key role in ensuring combat operations and national defense of the United States. As of 2024, the United States' total lifetime operating costs for these aircraft are estimated at $1.6 trillion. Currently, the US armed forces operate more than 800 F-35 fighter jets, and by the mid-2040s they plan to purchase about 1,700 more aircraft.
