More Problems With The F-35

A Lockheed Martin F-35A jet Photographer: George Frey/Bloomberg

Bloomberg: F-35s Hobbled by Parts Shortages, Slow Repairs, Audit Finds

* Pentagon will be hard-pressed to keep fighter flying, GAO says
* Watchdog agency says military services unsure of upkeep costs

The Pentagon is accelerating production of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 jet even though the planes already delivered are facing “significantly longer repair times” than planned because maintenance facilities are six years behind schedule, according to a draft audit.

The time to repair a part has averaged 172 days -- “twice the program’s objective” -- the Government Accountability Office, Congress’s watchdog agency, found. The shortages are “degrading readiness” because the fighter jets “were unable to fly about 22 percent of the time” from January through August for lack of needed parts.

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WNU Editor: The cost for building one these fighter jets is astronomical, but it is the maintenance of these fighter jets that costs even more. The fact that they are experiencing part shortages and slow repairs right now will only mean one thing .... a far more expensive plane to maintain in the future.