Lockheed Runs Out Of F-35 Parts Once Made In Turkey

Breaking Defense: F-35 Faces Parts Problems After Turks Expulsion

WASHINGTON: It’s a familiar tale, if one told with fewer operational problems. The Government Accountability Office today details a $1.5 billion increase for 2019 in the F-35’s Block 4 costs — now up to $12.1 billion — and serious parts problems caused by the expulsion of Turkey from the Joint Strike Fighter program.

And that cost estimate may not be completely accurate, the GAO audit found, because “the cost estimate did not fully adhere to leading practices, such as including all life cycle costs.”

The program “is already addressing, to include: cost estimate baselines, risk and uncertainty analyses, and evaluation of Technology Readiness Levels for Block 4 hardware and capabilities,” Program Executive Officer Lt. Gen. Eric Fick said in a prepared statement.

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Update: Russia’s S-400 Causes First Casualties for F-35 as Lockheed Runs Out of Parts Once Made in Turkey (Sputnik)

WNU Editor: This supply problem has even caught the attention of President Trump .... Trump has questions about the F-35′s supply chain. Here are some answers (Defense News).