Page 1 GAO-24-106703 F-35 Sustainment
The F-35 Lightning II aircraft (F-35) is the Department of Defense’s (DOD) most
ambitious and costly weapon system and its most advanced fighter aircraft. DOD
operates and sustains about 630 F-35 aircraft and plans to procure about 2,500
total by the mid-2040s. The F-35 program includes three variants: F-35A, used
by the Air Force; F-35B, used by the Marine Corps; and F-35C, used by the
Marine Corps and the Navy (see fig. 1). DOD plans to use the F-35 aircraft
through 2088 and plans to spend over $2 trillion on acquisition and sustainment.
Figure 1: F-35 Aircraft
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 includes a provision
for us to conduct an annual review of F-35 sustainment efforts, including DOD’s
ability to reduce sustainment costs or otherwise maintain the affordability of the
F-35 fleet. (Pub. L. No 117-81, § 357 (2021)) This report provides information on
the F-35’s sustainment cost estimates over the life of the program, actions taken
by the F-35 Joint Program Office to reduce sustainment costs, and the extent to
which the F-35 fleet has met performance goals.
• DOD’s projected costs for sustaining the F-35 fleet through 2088 continue to
increase. Specifically, sustainment cost estimates have increased 44 percent,
from about $1.1 trillion in 2018 to about $1.58 trillion in 2023. One reason for
the increase in cost estimates is the extension of the service life of the
aircraft.
• The Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps project they will fly the F-35 aircraft
less than originally estimated on an annual basis. In part because of this
reduction in flight hours, the services are now projecting they will meet most
U.S. Government Accountability Office
-35 Sustainment: Costs Continue to Rise
Use and Availability Have
ed
-24-106703
Report to Congressional Committees
15, 2024
