A recent US watchdog Government Accountability Office (GAO) report highlights the rising sustainment costs and declining usage of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, a key component of US military strategy. The report indicates that the program's lifetime sustainment costs have increased by 44% from $1.1 trillion in 2018 to $1.58 trillion in 2023. This increase is attributed to factors such as the extension of the aircraft's service life to 2088 and rising inflation.

Key findings from the GAO report:

Technology is always changing—even when it comes to the most advanced weapon systems. Across the US military there are about 630 F-35s—with plans to buy about 1,800 more. The Air Force, Marines, and Navy each have their own versions of the F-35.

The projected costs to sustain the F-35 fleet have risen significantly, reaching $1.58 trillion in 2023. This is a 44% increase from the $1.1 trillion estimated in 2018.

The Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps are projecting fewer annual flight hours for the F-35 than initially planned, in part due to reliability issues. To cut costs, flight hours have been reduced by 21%.

The US Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps have increased their affordability targets, with the Air Force now estimating $6.8 million annually to operate and sustain each aircraft, which is well above the original $4.1 million target. The Air Force had increased the amount of money it can afford to spend per F-35 aircraft to $6.8 million per year as of June 2023.

Despite the DOD's efforts to reduce costs, these initiatives are not expected to significantly alter the estimated costs of operating the aircraft.

The F-35 program is estimated to cost the US over $2 trillion to buy, operate, and sustain over its lifetime. This includes approximately $442 billion in acquisition costs and $1.58 trillion in sustainment costs.

The GAO report also notes that the F-35 fleet's overall availability has declined over the past five years, and none of the aircraft variants are meeting their availability goals. The DOD has implemented some of GAO's recommendations to improve the F-35 program, but many remain unimplemented.

What Specific Reliability Issues Are Causing The Reduction In Flight Hours For The F-35

The reduction in flight hours for the F-35 is attributed to several reliability and maintenance challenges:

The F-35 fleet has struggled with reliability, maintenance issues, and delays in deliveries. The aircraft requires long repair times due to the failure rate of critical parts. Lower-than-desired aircraft performance is largely due to spare parts shortages and limited part repair capabilities. F-35 aircraft were unable to fly about 30% of the time due to spare parts shortages.

The US Department of Defence (DOD) faces substantial supply chain challenges that are lowering F-35 aircraft performance.

A significant shortage of fully functional F135 engines, particularly for the Air Force F-35A version, has contributed to lower aircraft availability.

 Issues such as canopy and egress system problems have contributed to stagnant or slightly declining availability. The main drivers of critical failures include troubleshooting (including software stability), attaching hardware, wires/tubes/ducts/ fibre optics, throttle grip, aircraft memory device, low observability repair, standby flight display, and refuelling door.

The F-35 fleet isn’t meeting the reliability and maintainability standards set in the Operational Requirements Document.

Delays with the Delays in Tech Refresh 3 (TR-3) upgrade, which provides improved processing power and new capabilities, have also affected the program. The DOD has refused to accept deliveries of the first F-35s that were supposed to feature the TR-3 upgrade.

The F-35 Joint Program Office reported a reduction of almost 82,000 flight hours per year (a 21% reduction) in the 2023 Annual Cost Estimate.

These issues have resulted in the military services lowering the number of hours each aircraft is estimated to fly due to ongoing maintenance and reliability issues with the F-35 fighter jet, the military has significantly reduced the projected flight hours for each aircraft, with the F-35 Joint Program Office reporting a decrease of nearly 82,000 flight hours per year, representing a 21% reduction, in their 2024 Annual Cost Estimate.

India’s Consideration of The F-35

President Donald Trump has proposed selling F-35 fighter jets to India, a move that could significantly boost US-India defence relations. This proposal comes at a time when India is actively working to strengthen its defence capabilities.

The F-35 is known for its stealth capabilities, advanced sensors, superior radar evasion, and networked combat systems, which could complement India's ambitions. The F-35 could significantly enhance India's combat capabilities, giving the Indian Air Force a technological edge.

The F-35 program is projected to exceed $2 trillion in costs over its lifetime. Unit costs for the F-35 range from about $80 million to $100 million, depending on the variant. India must consider factors such as cost, technology access, and life-cycle expenses.

High maintenance costs, software integration challenges, and restrictions on operational independence also pose challenges. The potential acquisition of the F-35 is deeply tied to geopolitical considerations, with the US aiming to strengthen its strategic partnership and bolster India's military capabilities.

India needs to ensure that F-35 procurement does not jeopardize indigenous fighter programs and retains the ability to integrate indigenous weapons and systems. India's operation of the Russian S-400 air defence system could be a point of contention, as it has been in the past with other countries.

Trump stated the U.S. would increase military sales to India by billions of dollars, including the F-35. The offer marks a shift in Washington’s stance, as the U.S. had historically been hesitant about offering the F-35 to India.

For India, acquiring the F-35 would demonstrate a shift towards enhancing defence interoperability with the US.

IDN