An F-35 Lightning II flies over Destin, Fla., before landing at its new home at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., July 14, 2011. Its pilot, Lt. Col. Eric Smith is the first Air Force qualified F-35 pilot and is assigned to the 58th Fighter Squadron. (Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Joely Santiago)
By: FEDweek StaffOperational time for the F-35 Lightning II sat at about 55 percent as of last March – far below mission expectations, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
In a recent report, the nation’s top watchdog agency stated that challenges with depot and organizational maintenance are largely responsible for the problems. Moreover, more than 10,000 repairs have yet to be performed – significantly below program goals.
The GAO report outlined these specific challenges:
• Heavy reliance on contractors, resulting in limited ability to make decisions and influence what takes place in maintenance depots.
• Inadequate training.
• Lack of technical data at both the organizational and depot levels.
• Changes in funding priorities, which have hindered the construction of adequate repair depots.
• Unavailable support equipment on flight lines.
• A lack of spare parts.
“The Department of Defense [DoD] relies heavily on its contractor to lead and manage F-35 sustainment,” the GAO report stated. “However, as DoD seeks expanded government control, it has neither determined the desired mix of government and contractor roles, nor identified and obtained the technical data needed to support its desired mix.”
With the military scheduled to completely take over F-35 sustainment by October 2027, the report stated, DoD would be well-served by “reassessing its approach,” according to the report. Such a move could help the department “address its maintenance challenges and reduce costs.”
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