F-35 er kostbar å operere - Lockheed Martin vil gjøre noe med det - Lockheed Martin

Det er kun operatørene som kan vurdere om Lockheed Martins vyer holder vann. Kostnadene har veldig lenge vært i fokus hos Pentagon som ikke på langt nær er fornøyde med  kostnadsredusksjonstiltakene til Lockheed Martin. (Red.)

F-35 Sustainment capabilities are delivering today and growing in effectiveness while also reducing cost. The Mission Capable rates of the F-35 are averaging approximately 70% and even higher for deployed units. During a recent 18-month deployment to the CENTCOM Area of Responsibility, the U.S. Air Force averaged five-hour sorties. At a recent Red Flag exercise, the U.S. Air Force did not miss a single sortie due to maintenance issues. The collective F-35 Sustainment effort is an incredible feat, and it’s fueled by affordability.

Fueled by Affordability

Keeping the F-35 affordable also takes an enterprise-wide effort. Industry and government continue to find ways to balance manpower and material requirements, while ensuring the F-35 is fully operational.

The F-35 enterprise has made great progress in reducing the cost to sustain F-35s. For example, collective efforts have reduced the overall Cost per Flight Hour (CpFH) of the USAF F-35 A model by 20% since 2017.

Over the next five years, the F-35 fleet will more than double in size, and flight hours will increase by almost 200%. These two factors, along with continued investment in sustainment capabilities and improvements, and the acceleration of 68 depot repair lines, will allow the F-35 Program to reduce operating costs even further.

Affordability is key, because the F-35 is the backbone of allied airpower for 13 nations and counting. The F-35 is critical to maintaining air combat superiority as adversaries advance and legacy aircraft age.