US Set to Pay If Parked F-35s Suffer Major Weather Damage
- Lockheed liability cap at $100,000 on $82.5 million-plus jet
- Planes are parked in Texas as they await delayed upgrades
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US taxpayers could be on the hook for millions of dollars in repairs if F-35 fighter jets suffer major weather damage while waiting on a Texas tarmac for a long-delayed software upgrade, according to the Pentagon’s contracts oversight agency.
The disclosure from the Defense Contract Management Agency is the latest twist in the saga of the Lockheed Martin Corp. fighter jet that’s already projected to cost more than $1.8 trillion over the course of its life cycle, including development, production and sustainment, making it the most expensive weapons system in history.