Days after a $100 million F-35B crashed in rural South Carolina, a government watchdog report released Thursday highlights ongoing maintenance delays showing F-35 fighter jets are “mission capable” only 55% of the time.
“If the aircraft can only perform 55% of the time and the goal is 85 to 90% of the time, taxpayers are not getting their money’s worth,” said Diana Maurer, who authored the report for the Government Accountability Office.
The F-35 program, led by military contractor Lockheed Martin, is one of the Defense Department’s most expensive, costing taxpayers a total of $1.7 trillion over its lifespan.
Much of the program’s expense — $1.3 trillion — is the cost of maintaining and operating the fighter jets, the GAO report said.
Maurer said the fighter jet’s overall sustainment “rests entirely on Lockheed Martin and the sub-contractors it hires.” While that is not unique to the F-35, the GAO found that the contractor-led approach can cause delays.
For example, the report says the GAO spoke to military maintenance staff members at three locations who said they were not allowed to look up spare part numbers for the F-35 because the proprietary database was controlled by Lockheed, the prime contractor. “Not having ready access to part numbers hinders the repair of the aircraft because it delays the ordering and receipt of needed parts,” the report said.
Maintenance on components for the F-35 fighter jets is behind, leaving more than 10,000 components in the queue waiting to be repaired, the report said.
The F-35 is used by the Air Force, the Marines and the Navy. Previous maintenance concerns have led to a push for the Pentagon to take over management of F-35 maintenance, but the shift is not scheduled to occur until late 2027, the report said.
Congress mandated the GAO review as part of last year’s defense bill after ongoing maintenance challenges were identified.
The GAO made seven recommendations to address maintenance delays, and the Pentagon concurred with all of them, the report said.
In a statement, Lockheed Martin said, "We stand ready to partner with the government as plans are created for the future of F-35 sustainment ensuring mission readiness and enabling deterrence."