The F35 program from the beginning was the biggest wealth redistribution program ever produced for the Neo’s. 25 years in development an it’s never been used in combat. The telling line, “Lockheed Martin has been awarded $200 million in contracts to attempt to halve the aircraft’s cost”. We’re paying them money to figure out how to pay them less!
The US Department of Defense is considering a change in direction with their fleet of F-35s, in which more than 100 fighters would be retired from combat rather than upgraded with a new software configuration.
Of the 1,763 F-35s intended to enter service with the US Air Force, 108 are in need of a software upgrade from Block 2B platform to the combat-ready Block 3F. This configuration change would be time-consuming and expensive, with 150 modifications needed in every aircraft to bring them up to standards. Read more here.