What GAO Found Since 2021, F-35 sustainment costs have continued to increase, but the F-35 has not met performance goals and performance has trended down. Across the fleet from fiscal year 2021 through fiscal year 2025: The mission capable rate (percentage of time the aircraft can perform one of its tasked missions) declined from 67 percent to 44 percent. The full mission capable rate (percentage of time the aircraft can perform all of its missions) declined from 38 percent to 25 percent. In response, the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) updated its sustainment strategy, which it refers to as the Global Support Solution (GSS) Reset. The GSS Reset requires an estimated $13.7 billion more than previously planned through fiscal year 2031 and seeks to address challenges GAO previously identified, including a lack of spare parts and heavy reliance on contractors. GAO found that multiple risks threaten JPO’s ability to achieve GSS Reset goals. For example, JPO will be reliant on the private sector to deliver more than $7 billion in additional parts and other material. But capacity constraints persist for key parts. Estimated costs for the F-35 also continue to increase. As a result, the U.S. military services will annually…
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F-35 Sustainment: Actions Needed to Ensure Updated Strategy Improves Persistent Readiness Challenges
Source: US GAO Reports — US Government, Public Domain