Lockheed stands by reliability of F-35 after critical report

Lockheed Martin defended the progress of its F-35, the costliest U.S. weapons system, after the head of the Pentagon’s testing office issued a critical report saying efforts to improve the fighter jet’s reliability are “stagnant.”

“We are confident in the F-35’s transformational capability that continues to be demonstrated through the steady progress in development, production and sustainment operations,” Lockheed spokeswoman Carolyn Nelson said. She said the company is working with the Pentagon’s F-35 program office to improve repair capability and the ordering of spare parts.

In the testing office’s annual report to Congress on major weapons systems, director Robert Behler said the availability of the F-35 for missions when needed, a key metric, remains “around 50 percent, a condition that has existed with no significant improvement since October 2014, despite the increasing number of aircraft.”

Nelson responded that “newer jets are averaging greater than 60 percent availability and some operational squadrons are consistently at or above 70 percent availability.”

The F-35 is scheduled to end its 16-year-old development phase this year. Starting in September, the program is supposed to proceed to intense combat testing that’s likely to take a year. Combat testing is necessary before the plane is approved for full-rate production — the most profitable phase for Lockheed.

Pentagon officials have highlighted the need to reduce the F-35’s $406.5 billion projected acquisition cost and its estimated $1.2 trillion price tag for long-term operations and support through 2070.