Essentially, the Pentagon has declared the F-35 “ too big to fail.” As a retired member of the U.S. is still throwing huge sums of money at the project. Even after President Trump lambasted the cost of the program in February, the price per plane dropped just $7 million – less than 7 percent.Īnd yet, the U.S. The unit cost per airplane, above $100 million, is roughly twice what was promised early on. It’s also become the most expensive defense program in world history, at around US$1.5 trillion before the fighter is phased out in 2070. Officially begun in 2001, with roots extending back to the late 1980s, the F-35 program is nearly a decade behind schedule, and has failed to meet many of its original design requirements. But it’s turned out to be none of those things. It’s marketed as a cost-effective, powerful multi-role fighter airplane significantly better than anything potential adversaries could build in the next two decades. It’s supposed to replace and improve upon several current – and aging – aircraft types with widely different missions. military desired, serving the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy – and even Britain’s Royal Air Force and Royal Navy – all in one aircraft design. The F-35 was billed as a fighter jet that could do almost everything the U.S. The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research.
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