F-35 Fighter Jet Program – Cost Increases for World’s Most Expensive Weapons System
According to the Pentagon, the United States’ F-35 fighter jet, which is the most expensive weapons program in the world, has become even more expensive. The total cost of developing and acquiring the aircraft is now estimated to be $438 billion, which is $26 billion higher than the previous estimate released a year ago. This increase of 6.5% is considered relatively modest compared to the program’s initial cost of $233 billion when Lockheed Martin Corp. was awarded the contract in 2001.
“The cost data in question was provided after accounting for inflation and readjusting the production plans for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, which span from 2044 to 2049,” the program office said in a statement. The new estimate does not change the total number of aircraft planned, which includes 14 development jets and 2,456 production models for the United States, it said.
The so-called per-jet “program acquisition unit cost,” which includes development and production dollars when calculated in inflation-adjusted “then-year” dollars, according to budget analysts, has risen to $179 million per plane from $166 million last year. for SAR.
The $26 billion increase matches what Congress has granted under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative to support Kiev’s fight against Russian aggression. It also roughly matches this year’s budget request for NASA, the space agency.
Separately, the Pentagon said the F-35, which has faced numerous delays, passed a major milestone last month when it completed testing in an advanced Pentagon simulator, spokesman Russell Goemaere said in a statement. The simulations were designed to determine whether the plane could counter Russia’s and China’s top air defenses and fighters, and their results made up 42% of the assessment required for a passing grade.
The testing is part of a regulatory assessment before Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed can begin full production. Of the fleet of 3,000 or more F-35s intended for US and international customers, at least 965 have been delivered. Many of them may have to be retrofitted based on test results.
The F-35 was supposed to fly a 64-sort exercise in 2017, but it was delayed for years as the Covid pandemic exacerbated unresolved technical issues at the “Joint Simulation Environment” test facility. The Pentagon’s test office plans to submit its test report no later than 90 days after completion, but it does not plan to release an unclassified summary.
