Lockheed’s $398 Billion F-35 Is at Risk of Costly Fixes, Congress Watchdog Says
- U.S. and allies face added expenses for potential retrofits
- Combat simulation tests may unearth costly flaws: watchdog
The F-35’s total projected cost for now is $1.7 trillion, which includes $1.3 trillion in estimated operations and sustainment over 66 years.
Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/BloombergThe U.S. and allies buying Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 may face millions in added costs if serious problems emerge during long-delayed combat simulation tests of the fighter jet, according to Congress’s watchdog agency.
The annual report by the Government Accountability Office is a reality check on likely add-ons to the three-year-old, $398 billion estimated cost of acquiring the planes. F-35s have received renewed attention with their deployment to Eastern Europe, Germany’s announcement of plans to to buy 35 of the planes and fresh NATO interest in its “dual capability” to carry a nuclear bomb following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.