F-35: The $2,000,000,000,000 Fighter Is About to Get More Expensive
The cost of the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter continues to rise as more countries add the aircraft to their fleets. Recent engine improvements aimed at upgrading the core and thermal management of the jet have increased the program’s cost by $40 billion, bringing the estimated lifetime expense to an astronomical $2 trillion.
Summary and Key Points: The cost of the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter continues to rise as more countries add the aircraft to their fleets.
-Recent engine improvements aimed at upgrading the core and thermal management of the jet have increased the program’s cost by $40 billion, bringing the estimated lifetime expense to an astronomical $2 trillion.
-Technological complexities, manufacturing delays, and the need to incorporate multiple aircraft capabilities into one platform contribute to its high cost.
-Despite the price, the F-35 remains popular, with 20 countries purchasing nearly 3,600 aircraft.
-As more countries continue to add the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jet to their fleet, the cost of the cutting-edge aircraft continues to rise.
A $2 Trillion Aircraft Becomes More Expensive
Extra costs for engine improvements further increased the total cost of the aircraft by over $40 billion.
The Pentagon recently released an acquisition report that assessed the cost of the F-35 program. The new estimate added about $40 billion to the aircraft’s price tag. Engine improvements are necessary for the aircraft to stay at the cutting edge of combat aviation. Specifically, the engine improvements aim toward upgrading the F-35’s engine core and its power thermal management.
Proper management of the engine’s cooling system is important not only to the aircraft’s performance but also to the low observability characteristics of the stealth fighter jet.
However, the aircraft’s cost continues to rise. According to the latest data published by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the F-35 program will cost a staggering $2 trillion over its lifetime, making it one of the most—if not the most—expensive military acquisition programs in modern history. The F-35 is so expensive because it incorporates the capabilities of several aircraft into one. Moreover, the F-35 comes in three versions with different landing characteristics but almost similar combat capabilities. Moreover, technological and manufacturing issues have delayed the program and increased the overall cost. The latest issue, which concerned the software of the stealth fighter jet, delayed the delivery of new aircraft from the factory and was only solved a few weeks ago.
However, despite the cost, the F-35 remains an extremely popular aircraft.
A Popular Aircraft Despite the Price
Today, 20 countries have purchased the F-35, with almost 3,600 aircraft in total.
The F-35 Lightning II comes in three versions: A, B, and C. The F-35A is the most popular conventional take-off aircraft. The F-35B is the Short Take-off, Vertical Landing (STOVL) version that can land and take off like a helicopter and fly like a fighter jet. Finally, the F-35C is the carrier version of the aircraft and is designed to operate from aircraft carriers.
The U.S. military is by far the largest customer of the F-35, with a total order of 2,456 jets of all three versions. Moreover, the U.S. is the only country that has purchased all three versions of Lockheed Martin’s stealth fighter jet. Specifically, the Air Force has ordered 1,763 F-35As, the Navy 273 F-35Cs, and the Marine Corps 353 F-35Bs and 67 F-35Cs.
Other large customers include Japan with 147 aircraft (105 F-35As and 42 F-35Bs), the United Kingdom with an order of 138 F-35Bs (it might be reduced), Australia with 100 F-35As, Italy with 90 aircraft (60 F-35As and 30 F-35Bs), Israel with F-35As, and Finland with F-35As.
The two countries that have joined the program are Greece (20 F-35As with the option to buy another 20) and Romania (32 F-35As). Europe has a very strong presence of F-35s with around 600 aircraft, thus bolstering NATO’s combat and deterrence capabilities.
About the Author:
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
Image Credit: Creative Commons.
