WASHINGTON — The F-35 Lightning II is the Department of Defense's (DoD) most ambitious and costly weapon system, and the cost is steadily increasing.
An April Government Accountability Office (GAO) report finds that sustainment cost estimates for the jet have increased 44%, from $1.1 trillion in 2018 to $1.58 trillion in 2023.
That's on top of the $2 trillion the DoD plans to spend on the acquisition of 1,800 additional F-35s between now and 2088.
Another problem revealed by the GAO is the F-35's "full mission capable rate" — the percentage of time during which the aircraft can perform all tasked missions.
According to the report, the Marine Corps F-35 B variant's mission capable rate in 2023 was 14.9%.
On Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin rejected criticism from lawmakers who have complained the F-35 is too costly and unreliable.
"It is one of the best aircraft in the inventory," Austin said during testimony before the House Armed Services Committee.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) challenged Austin about the costs.
"How many hundred-million-dollar paperweights do we own?" Gaetz asked.
Austin replied: "I would not categorize the F-35 as a paperweight."
Gaetz fired back, saying, "Well if it's not mission-capable, do we just stare at it and admire it?"
Austin responded: "We continue to work to make sure we get our aircraft operational."
Since 2014, the GAO has made 43 recommendations to improve the F-35 program. But the DOD has only acted on 13 of them.