If the F-35s cannot fly in sufficient numbers, older aircraft, such as the F-16, will have to be kept in service to fill that gap. In turn, extending the life of older aircraft drains funds that could be used to acquire new aircraft, resulting in aging fighters that may no longer be able to perform their tasks on the modern battlefield.
“Although life extension programs are a way to maintain the capability and operability of current aircraft, they do not guarantee that those aircraft will be available when needed or that they possess the required capabilities to meet future needs,” the Office warns.
US tactical aircraft report by Government Accountability Committee. The F-35 will replace Cold War-era fighters and attack aircraft, including the Navy’s F/A-18 C/D, the Marines’ AV-8B, the Army’s A-10, and the Air Force’s F-16, the most prevalent fighter in the US.
The F-35, which made its first flight in 2006 and costs over $100 million each, has not yet been certified for full production, and procurement remains constrained.
The aircraft has experienced an endless succession of failures, including problems with its stealthy skin, prolonged supersonic flying, helmet-mounted display, excessive vibration from its gun, and lightning susceptibility.
The Army and Lockheed Martin have addressed these issues, but the delays have forced the Air Force to abandon plans to use the F-35 to replace the F-16, which will continue to perform admirably for the time being.
“Over the past decade, the Air Force and Navy have funded life extension programs for the F-16 and F/A-18 AD – both originally intended to be replaced by the F-35 – to address structural component fatigue and keep aircraft capable and operational,” the GAO report states.
The difficulties of maintaining aging military aircraft are often obscured by the extraordinary longevity of some planes, such as the B-52 bomber, 71 years old, or the A-10, 41 years old.
Production lines are often idle, and the manufacturers of original components and spare parts have long since ceased production. In some cases, they no longer exist.
The Russian air force has been mocked for its poor maintenance, which has eroded its air power in the war in Ukraine. However, the United States military and other NATO members like Germany have long had serious shortcomings in readiness. As of 2020, less than ten Luftwaffe Typhoon fighters were still flying.
Of particular concern was a November 2022 GAO study examining the readiness of 49 US military aircraft models between 2011 and 2021.
“Only four aircraft types, none of which were fixed-wing fighters, met their annual mission capability targets in most of those years,” the watchdog warned.
All state-of-the-art military hardware suffers from this issue to varying degrees. It appears that complicated weaponry, such as fighter jets, battle tanks, and aircraft carriers, is prone to dependability and maintenance problems, as well as a lack of specialized and expensive spare parts.
Unfortunately, the F-35 is now widely recognized as a prime example of an aircraft with widespread readiness issues. A GAO report from April 2022 stated that the inability to obtain the necessary technical documentation was due to a shortage of spare parts, maintenance equipment, and ground staff.
Much is at stake. The Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps plan to allocate $20.2 billion annually to developing and acquiring tactical aircraft by 2027.
A sufficient number of aircraft and capabilities in the short term, current affordability concerns, and future needs all compete for the services’ budget.
The Air Force’s 2023 budget proposal already plans to delay until 2027 the acquisition of 66 F-35s originally planned for 2023, while the Navy will buy 31 fewer F-35s and delay the extension of the useful life of the F-18E/ F Super Hornet.
The GAO urged the Defense Department to thoroughly assess its tactical aircraft investments, including an analysis of risks and how the various aircraft programs depend on one another. But no matter what, US air power will be depleted until the F-35 is fully repaired.
