F-35: The Backbone of the U.S. Air Force, Like It or Not

F-35 Makes More Deliveries to the U.S. Military: It’s been a long 13 months for the F-35 program. The enormously expensive Lightning II stealth fighter has endured a delivery pause for over a year. But now the Pentagon has accepted 36 new F-35s, which is good news for Lockheed Martin and a promising development for the overall force readiness of the U.S. military.

In fact, as the F-35 takes over the tasks of many older Cold War planes as they retire, it is becoming what can only be described as the backbone of the Air Force for decades to come.

An F-35A Lightning II, flown by Maj. Kristin “Beo” Wolfe, F-35 A Lightning II Demonstration Team commander, performs aerial displays during the Joint Base Andrews 2022 Air & Space Expo, at JBA, Md., Sept. 18, 2022. Wolfe demonstrated several difficult maneuvers throughout her performance at the Air & Space Expo to provide an opportunity for people to see U.S. military air capabilities in action. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Ben Cash)

F-35 Drama: What Was the Problem?

In July of 2023, the Department of Defense was not happy. F-35s failed inspections because there were issues with the “upgraded Technology Refresh 3 hardware and software, which include new and improved displays, computer memory and processing power.”

The modifications were also for the upgrade package called Block 4 “that will allow the F-35 to carry more weapons, better identify targets and conduct electronic warfare,” as Stephen Losey wrote for Defense News.

So, a new “truncated” version of the software was completed that will allow the F-35 to begin flying training missions and testing the systems. Dozens of F-35s had been built but have been stored at the Lockheed Martin plant in Fort Worth, Texas, since last year.

Still Not Ready for Combat

Unfortunately, these F-35s that were just allowed to be sent to the DOD are not yet combat-ready. Now, the Air Force, the Marine Corps, and the Navy are trying to determine their needs concerning the F-35. Plus, there are numerous back orders that international customers are waiting on.

There Is Still A Lot to Like

I love the F-35’s performance specifications and its popularity on the export market. Nearly 20 allied customers and partners have integrated the F-35 into their respective air forces, which is important in future combat scenarios when a multi-national stealth fighter is needed against China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea.

An F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 4th Fighter Squadron, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, taxis into position in front of two U.S. Air Force Airmen with the 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron for forward area refueling point operations during a FARP demonstration at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Feb. 14, 2024. FARP allows operators to transfer fuel from one aircraft to another; this process enables fighter aircraft to land, refuel or re-arm before returning to air-battle operations rapidly in contested environments. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jonathan R. Sifuentes)

But Then There Are the Downsides

However, this program has gone through so many delays and cost overruns it makes you wonder if the gargantuan price tag is worth it.

Some estimates reveal that at least $2 trillion will be needed in the following decades to keep the F-35 flying for the U.S. military. When you have that cost, plus the 100 B-21 stealth bombers that will set the Air Force back several hundred million dollars apiece, it makes any defense analyst ask where all of this money is coming from, especially as we ponder a military budget that will hit, $1 trillion a year soon.

You can blame inflation for these costs, plus problems in the defense industrial base supply chains, and additional money for the Ukraine war. These issues are making the United States look for “pocket change in the sofa” to pay for its military.

F-35 Is Having Trouble Staying Operational

The biggest issues for the F-35 are sustainability and the cost of flying hours. Obviously, if dozens of F-35s are built, then held back by the defense contractor and not delivered to the military, you have a problem. The F-35 can feel like you are taking a cold shower and ripping up $100,000 bills every minute. Pardon the expression, but you get my point.

Keep Costs Under Control

The F-35 Joint Program Office believes it is doing everything it can to reduce costs. The office claims flight per hour has been reduced from $86,800 to $33,600 in 2012 dollars. Inflation has made those expenses balloon, though. It costs about $7 million per F-35 each year to keep the Lightning II in the air. You can do a quick back of the envelope arithmetic and understand how much that costs.

60 More Years for the F-35?

Optimists believe the F-35 can fly until 2088. It could be substantially updated by then, and that’s a plus. But if the U.S. military cannot ensure the F-35 conducts a Block IV upgrade in a reasonable time, not 13 months, it is difficult to see how the stealth fighter can become as reliable and upgradable as the B-52.

If the F-35 flies for the next several decades, you could see some exciting innovations. There will probably be an unmanned version. It will likely run at least one “Loyal Wingman” tethered combat drone. It should be compatible with the Next Generation Air Dominance fighter. More countries will order them. These would all be promising developments. But 13-month “pauses” are unacceptable.

Reliance and sustainability, plus cheaper flight hours, must be achieved with this program. As always, we at National Security Journal will watch the F-35 program closely for the bad news and, to be fair, the good news too.

About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood

Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.