The U.S. Defense Department's Office of the Inspector General revealed this week that F-35 fighter jets were operational only 50% of the time throughout 2024, falling 17% below minimum performance requirements. The report attributes this critical shortfall to systemic maintenance failures by manufacturer Lockheed Martin and insufficient oversight from Pentagon officials.
Despite contractual obligations, auditors found the Department of Defense paid Lockheed Martin approximately $1.7 billion in 2024 without imposing financial penalties for poor sustainment performance. This comes as the F-35 program's total procurement costs surpassed $485 billion in December 2023 – more than double original projections from 2001.
The aircraft's reliability issues have caused international ripple effects. Multiple partner nations including Canada and Spain have revised procurement plans this year, while three UK F-35B jets were recently returned to the U.S. for corrosion inspections after prolonged deployment in harsh environmental conditions.
Compounding these challenges, a September 2023 Government Accountability Office report showed worsening delivery delays – all 100+ F-35s delivered in 2024 arrived an average of 238 days late. Analysts warn these cumulative setbacks could impact allied military readiness and force budget reevaluations across the 17-nation program.
