WASHINGTON – United States military analysis has finally concluded thatF-35 costs are so unbearably high that unless major cost savings areachieved, the US Air Force won’t be able to afford as many aircraft as itwants.
The report, obtained by Bloomberg, found that unless the US Air Force canfind ways to trim F-35 operation and support costs by 38 percent over thenext ten years, the military will only be about to buy around two-thirdsof the 1,736 F-35s it has planned to acquire.
In total, the service would have to reduce F-35 acquisitions by 590 planes,or about 33 percent, Bloomberg noted.
On March 1, Vice Admiral Mat Winter, director of the F-35 Program Office,told reporters that Lockheed Martin was not being transparent about whatthe planes would cost when negotiating new acquisition contracts. “We don’tknow to the level of granularity I want to know — what it actually coststo produce this aircraft,” Winter said.
While Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson and US President Donald Trumphave promised to reduce the per-aircraft cost over time, Winter also noted”the price is coming down but it’s not coming down fast enough.”
Nevertheless, US Air Force spokesperson Ann Stefanik said the resultsof the analysis don’t imply that a final decision has been made to reduceF-35 procurement quantities.
The possible reduction was “a staff assessment of aircraft affordability.It’s premature for the Air Force to consider buying fewer aircraft at thistime.”