The program of fifth-generation F-35 fighters produced by the American military industrial corporation Lockheed Martin is 12 years behind schedule, partly due to the purchase of new aircraft instead of maintaining the combat readiness of existing ones. This is reported by Defense News with reference to a document of the government supervisory authority.
According to the Accounting Chamber, currently the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps have more than 450 F-35 aircraft. In total, the Pentagon plans to purchase about 2,500 such aircraft with a total life cycle cost of more than $ 1.7 trillion, of which 1.3 trillion is for operation and maintenance.
According to the findings of the monitoring body, currently many of the F-35s are not ready for war. So, in March 2023, the combat capability level of all F-35s was 55 percent, which is significantly lower than the 70 percent target set for the F-35A and the 75 percent target for the F-35B and F-35C.
According to the Accounting Chamber, since the spring of 2019, the number of aircraft parts requiring repair has increased from 4,300 to more than 10,000. Currently, the repair of a part takes an average of 141 days, while the target for this parameter is set at 60 days. Since almost three-quarters of parts requiring repair are returned to their manufacturer, the F-35 program office prefers to buy new parts at a higher price in order to save time.
The Pentagon believes that such an approach, which makes it possible to return the F-35 to service faster, is not an example of a sustainable approach, since it increases the cost of the program.
In July, the publication reported that Lockheed Martin Corporation will not have time to deliver approximately 50 fifth-generation fighters to customers in 2023, which will reduce its revenue by hundreds of millions of dollars.
