- Only one in four F-35s achieved full mission capability
- Mission capable rates fell sharply between 2021 and 2025
- Software delays continue affecting readiness across newly delivered aircraft
The Pentagon’s F-35 fighter fleet continues to face readiness challenges despite years of investment, modernization efforts, and sustained contractor support, as a US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found only 25% of the aircraft were fully mission capable during fiscal 2025.
According to the GAO, the fleet’s mission-capable rate declined from 67% in fiscal 2021 to 44% in fiscal 2025.
The fully mission-capable rate, measuring aircraft able to perform all assigned missions, dropped from 38% to 25% during the same period.
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Readiness declines despite billions spent on sustainment efforts
The findings raise questions about a program expected to cost ∼$1.6 trillion in lifetime US sustainment expenses while serving as the backbone of American air power.
US Air Force officials attributed part of the deterioration to software delays affecting newly delivered aircraft, alongside corrosion concerns and persistent shortages of replacement components.
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The report described the F-35 as the Defense Department’s most expensive weapons program while noting that performance goals remain unmet.
More than 800 F-35s are currently operated by the Pentagon, with plans to acquire roughly 1,700 additional jets by the mid-2040s.
Meanwhile, the Joint Program Office launched the Global Support Solution Reset in June 2025 to improve readiness and reverse years of declining availability.
Program officials established ambitious objectives under the initiative, seeking an 80% mission capable rate and a 65% fully mission-capable rate by 2030.
Achieving those goals is expected to require an additional $13.7 billion through fiscal 2031 beyond previous planning assumptions.
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Only around $2.2 billion is directly associated with the reset initiative, while about $11.5 billion covers sustainment requirements exceeding earlier budget projections.
GAO warned that readiness levels could continue deteriorating before meaningful improvements emerge.
Internal program documentation reviewed by auditors indicated measurable gains may not appear until late 2026 or later.
The report also noted the Joint Program Office will depend on industry partners to deliver more than $7 billion in materials despite ongoing manufacturing limitations.
Incentive payments and supply shortages remain under scrutiny
A 2025 Lockheed Martin study identified 48 components that suppliers cannot currently manufacture in sufficient quantities.
Those shortages include aircraft canopies, which GAO has repeatedly identified as a major contributor to grounded fighters.
Auditors also projected that by the mid-2030s, military services could face an annual sustainment shortfall of roughly $1.2 billion.
The report examined contractor incentive payments and concluded that readiness-focused rewards frequently failed to produce expected outcomes.
Between 2020 and 2023, Lockheed Martin received more than $114 million from ∼$269 million in available incentive fees, even as readiness measures generally stagnated or declined.
In 19 of 39 performance periods, recorded readiness figures were adjusted upward due to factors deemed outside contractor control.
GAO further found inconsistent documentation surrounding incentive calculations and payment tracking practices.
Since 2014, auditors have issued 46 sustainment recommendations concerning the F-35 program, although only 14 had been implemented by March 2026.
That 30% implementation rate, spanning more than a decade of oversight, suggests the Pentagon’s appetite for acting on independent findings remains limited at best.
Via Defense News
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