The estimated lifetime cost to operate and maintain the Pentagon’s F-35s just took a big jump, even though the U.S. military is flying the jet less. The total cost of operating and maintaining the triservice jet is now expected to surpass $1.5 trillion, up 44% since a 2018 estimate, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. The Defense Department has tried to reduce costs on the program, but “DOD officials generally agree that these efforts are not likely to fundamentally change the estimated costs to operate the aircraft,” the report said. GAO also notes the Pentagon plans to fly the F-35 fighter jet less often than originally planned, due partly to “reliability issues,” which have contributed to a five-year decline in readiness.
Many problems reduce F-35 readiness, including a “heavy reliance on contractors, inadequate training, lack of technical data, lack of spare parts, and lack of support equipment,” the report said. The Joint Program Office has “continued to reduce sustainment costs through growth and maturation of the F-35 Enterprise including JPO Product Support Manager efforts to drive down contract costs; better alignment of US Services requirements and budgets; and an active cost reduction initiative pipeline,” JPO spokesperson Russ Goemaere said in a statement. The Pentagon, which depends on jet-builder Lockheed Martin to lead and manage sustainment, is trying to expand “government control” over the program to reduce program costs and improve program performance, GAO said.
The watchdog agency pointed out that the Pentagon has not implemented a number of recommendations the GAO has made over the years on F-35 sustainment. Lawmakers will likely ask about the program’s readiness problems on Tuesday during a House Armed Services committee hearing with Lt. Gen. Michael Schmidt, the F-35’s program executive officer. From design to retirement, the F-35 program is now estimated to reach a total cost of $2 trillion, GAO said, up from the previous estimate of $1.7 trillion.
