F-35's $1 Trillion Support Cost Ticks Up as More Flights Seen
- New estimate assumes jets fly 60 years, a six-year increase
- Pentagon also cites soaring cost of Raytheon GPS stations
at MCAS Beaufort on March 8, 2016 in Beaufort, North Carolina.
Photographer: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The trillion-dollar cost to operate and support Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 jet through decades of flight has increased by about $107 billion from last year, according to Pentagon officials.
The latest estimate -- $1.12 trillion in inflation-adjusted dollars -- reflects new assumptions by the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps that their versions of the fighter will fly more and last longer, according to Air Force Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan, the F-35 program’s manager. The cost was originally estimated at $900 million in 2009.