The plan to acquire 2,000 Lightning IIs during the course of its life cycle will cost an estimated $1.7 trillion.
By: FEDweek StaffEngine issues are grounding too many F-35 Lightning II aircraft, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) stated in a new report. Furthermore, the Defense Department is not doing enough to rectify the problem.
“DoD’s current strategy, if implemented as planned, allows for 6 percent of its F-35 aircraft to be non-mission capable, or unable to perform assigned missions, due to engine issues,” the GAO report stated.
The report went on to say nothing will change until the Pentagon assesses its engine-sustainment strategy and agrees upon what changes are needed. It acknowledges that some steps taken in 2020 have improved capacity at engine-repair depots. For example, it now takes 119 days to repair a key module as of this January, down from 207 in October 2020.
Still, GAO questioned DoD’s assumption that future funding will be sufficient to address “future risks.” The agency recommended that the Pentagon reach an agreement with the prime contractor on a path that would ensure an adequate future supply of spare parts.
The F-35 program is the most expensive in Pentagon history. The plan to acquire 2,000 Lightning IIs during the course of its life cycle will cost an estimated $1.7 trillion — $1.3 trillion of which would cover sustainment costs alone, GAO noted.
Meanwhile, GE and Pratt and Whitney are competing for a contract to replace the F-35’s engines with new ones that would be more fuel efficient when necessary, and automatically switch to a high-performance supersonic mode when mission requirements demand it. Versions for the Air Force’s F-35A and Navy’s F-35C are similar and undergoing testing.
Development for a new power plant for the Marine Corps’ F-35B entails additional requirements. The Marines’ version must be capable of vertical takeoff and landing from smaller Navy flattops — amphibious assault ships. It will require a fan on the intake side and rotating nozzle on the exhaust end to meet performance needs, and as such would be smaller than its Air Force and Navy counterparts.
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