WASHINGTON — F-35s can be found to fly simply 55% of the time, and 73% of alternative elements should be despatched again to suppliers as a result of the Pentagon’s upkeep depots are insufficient, based on a brand new congressional audit on the troubled maintenance of the fighter jet that’s the world’s costliest weapons system.
The report launched this week by the Authorities Accountability Workplace got here days after a $100 million F-35B crashed over South Carolina. The warplane’s Marine Corps pilot, who had been on a coaching mission, ejected safely.
The Marine Corps has solely begun its investigation into what went mistaken. However Thursday’s GAO report updates the persistent upkeep shortcomings of the superior fighter fleet constructed by Lockheed Martin Corp., which is anticipated to value a complete of $1.7 trillion together with a long time of operations and upkeep.
The 55% common availability charge as of March is “far beneath” the aim of a “mission succesful charge” of 85% to 90%, relying on the totally different variations of the airplane, the GAO mentioned in its 96-page evaluation.
The Marine Corps’ aim for availability of its F-35B model is 85%, for instance. As an alternative, the “mission succesful” charge for F-35B coaching jets in fiscal 2022 was about 55% — and close to zero for “full” mission functionality, based on Navy statistics cited within the report.
The gist of the GAO evaluation is that upkeep and sustainment challenges will solely worsen except the Protection Division and the army companies make drastic and sustained enhancements in upkeep depot capability as Lockheed continues to prove the planes. Greater than 950 plane of greater than 3,000 F-35s deliberate have already got been delivered to U.S. and worldwide clients.
Lockheed mentioned in an announcement that “we stand able to companion with the federal government as plans are created for the way forward for F-35 sustainment guaranteeing mission readiness and enabling deterrence.” The contractor mentioned “the F-35 is among the most dependable plane within the U.S. fighter fleet with greater than 90% of elements performing higher than predicted.”
Lt. Gen. Mike Schmidt, the Pentagon’s F-35 program supervisor, mentioned in an announcement that his workplace is working “to drive enhancements throughout the F-35 enterprise” because the fleet grows. He mentioned that features organising “our international restore, transportation and warehousing community at a quicker tempo.”
Christopher Lowman, the assistant secretary of protection for sustainment, is extremely targeted on the F-35 upkeep problem, officers have mentioned.
The U.S. army stays “not on time in establishing depot upkeep actions to conduct repairs,” and has a “heavy reliance” on Lockheed and its subcontractors for elements info and repairs, the GAO mentioned.
The Pentagon “has added new F-35s to its fleet, growing the demand for repairs, whereas persevering with to face delays establishing army service depot restore capability,” it mentioned.
As of March, the Pentagon “was sending 73% of all F-35 elements again to the unique gear producer” underneath Lockheed oversight “because of delays in standing up a full depot restore functionality on the army companies’ depots,” the GAO mentioned. “Consequently, part restore instances remained sluggish, with over 10,000 ready to be repaired.”
That has compelled the F-35 program workplace to purchase “new elements as a substitute of repairing the elements it already has in stock,” a follow that program officers “don’t imagine is a sustainable resolution,” based on the report.
Among the many issues: Upkeep crews at three F-35 bases informed the GAO they want half numbers “that reside in a database that’s proprietary” to Lockheed. “Not having prepared entry to half numbers hinders” jet restore as a result of “it delays the ordering and receipt of wanted elements,” the auditing company wrote.
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