Cost of Sustaining Lockheed’s F-35 Jet Now Forecast to Exceed $1.5 Trillion

The world’s costliest weapons program, Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 fighter jet, is getting even more expensive, according to a government watchdog.

Nine years after the Marine Corps declared its first F-35s operational, the Pentagon now projects that the cost of operating and maintaining the jet through 2088 will be $1.58 trillion, 44% higher than originally forecast in 2018, the Government Accountability Office said Monday in a new assessment.

It’s another troubling sign for the F-35, which is billed as the stealthiest and most advanced fighter jet ever and sits at the center of US war planning. Despite its high price tag and maintenance issues, the US and several allied governments — including Israel — already fly hundreds of F-35’s, and it played an important role in helping repel a barrage of Iranian missiles and drones aimed at Israel over the weekend.

The GAO report paints a troubling picture of the plane’s readiness, saying that inadequate training, a lack of spare parts and support equipment and a heavy reliance on contractors mean all three services that deploy the jet — the Air Force, Marines and Navy — project they will be able to fly the F-35 less often than originally hoped.

One major driver of maintenance costs is the Pentagon’s heavy reliance on Lockheed for support, the GAO said. The sustaining support cost element, which captures most sustainment costs associated with the contractor, is a large portion of the F-35. The Pentagon “is seeking expanded government control over the program to reduce program costs and improve program performance,” it said.