F-35s Are Rarely Flight-Ready and Repairs Are Too Slow, GAO Says
- Lockheed fighters are available to fly just 55% of the time
- Report released days after an F-35 crashed over South Carolina
Days after the crash of an F-35 fighter in South Carolina, a congressional report shows warplanes are available to fly just 55% of the time.
Photographer: George Frey/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
F-35s are available to fly just 55% of the time, and 73% of replacement parts have to be sent back to suppliers because the Pentagon’s maintenance depots are inadequate, according to a new congressional audit on the troubled upkeep of the fighter jet that is the world’s costliest weapons system.
The report released Thursday by the Government Accountability Office came days after a $100 million F-35B crashed over South Carolina. The warplane’s Marine Corps pilot, who had been on a training mission, ejected safely.