F-35 Jets Worth Trillions Barely Finish Missions

(AmericanProsperity.com) – According to a government report released on September 21, the United States military will spend nearly $2 trillion on 2,500 F-35 fighter jets that currently have expensive “maintenance issues.” The current state of this aircraft is allegedly not good enough to complete their scheduled missions.

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) revealed that the F-35 air fleet was officially included as a “line item” in 2022’s annual defense budget. However, the GAO also pointed out that the Pentagon is still “behind schedule” in maintaining these fighter jets. The report also showed that these F-35s are only capable of properly completing their missions 55 percent of the time, and noted that 10,000 of these fighter jets had to remain inoperative for repairs. Less than 500 of them are fielded.

The report cited numerous delays in establishing military service depots, which are described as facilities built for carrying out intricate repairs. It also cited “inadequate equipment” to maintain these F-35 fighter jets fully operational, and said that supply and maintenance delays were affecting aircraft readiness.

Different media outlets have pointed out these revelations have raised concerns about one of the most expensive weapons systems that the United States military currently has. The findings came a couple of days after an American pilot ejected from one of these fighter jets over South Carolina. Military officials said this was caused by a “malfunction.”

The report states that sustainment is just a recent priority in the F-35 program, which is the reason why crucial decisions on this matter are consistently delayed. The GAO report also pointed out that the US military service and the Department of Defense still have the chance of taking a “different path” and solving this problem before it gets worse. Finally, the report points out that these measures need to be taken as soon as possible, as it says that the “preparedness” of the US military depends “upon it.”