AIR FORCE NEWS
3/5/2021 By
Meredith Roaten
Air Force photo Officials should find a way to “cut our losses” on the F-35 joint strike fighter program, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said March 5.
Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., said he hopes officials can find a way to spend less money on the fifth-generation aircraft, which has been troubled by a number of issues over the years.
“I want to stop throwing money down that particular rathole, he said at a Brookings Institution event.
The program is the largest acquisition in Pentagon history, with a projected cost of more than $1 trillion. The Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps are purchasing different variants of the plane, as are a number of U.S. allies and partners.
Edwards Air Force Base to break ground on $34 million Joint Simulation Environment facility
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Despite Hard Times, The F-35 Program Demonstrated Stellar Performance In 2020
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It wouldn’t be the first time that the F-35 has seen delays.
Here s What You Need to Remember: A full-rate production will be the final seal of approval from the DoD to American taxpayers as well as foreign customers that the fifth-generation advanced stealth jet fighter has been fully tested. More importantly, this approval would mean the aircraft has been deemed effective against threats from potential peer adversaries, while it is also able to meet its maintenance goals and production quotas.
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter may be one of the most advanced aircraft ever produced, but there is little denying that it has had its share of problems. The program has been plagued by numerous delays, and this week it was reported that yet again the Department of Defense (DoD) will be forced to hold off on bringing the F-35 to a full-rate of production.
The Pentagon wants to make it so by 2025.
What You Should Know: The F-35 is the world s most expensive defense program ever. With time and experience can some of the costs come down?
In addition to being one of the most expensive military hardware platforms ever developed, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is also extremely expensive to operate. A year ago it was estimated that the fifth-generation advanced stealth aircraft cost around $44,000 an hour to fly or put another way $44 million to fly 1,000 hours. That could be $352 million over the 8,000-hour lifespan of the jet, which is more than twice as much as every other fighter aircraft in the U.S. military’s arsenal.