The F-35A is designed to revolutionize the procurement of fighters for the Air Force.
It would take over the missions of different planes and do anything. Maintenance would become cheaper and easier thanks to the most modern computer software. The list of aircraft it would replace was long. But running costs for the plane, which are about $ 36,000 per hour, are still about $ 10,000 more expensive than older fighters in the Air Force inventory.
“The biggest cost challenge we face on the plane is the cost of the jet’s life cycle,” said Brig. General David Abba, Director of the Air Force’s F-35 Integration Office. “What I can tell you is that the Air Force is aimed at that.”
While the F-35 remains an incredibly capable aircraft, the Air Force appears to have decided to diversify its fleet. The F-15EX – an upgraded version of the F-15 that first flew in the 1970s – is on the purchase block, and the first F-15EX was delivered to the Air Force this month. Recent comments from Air Force Chief of Staff General Charles Brown Jr. also pointed to the possibility of purchasing a light fighter as a replacement for the aging F-16.
“The idea that, because there are some affordability issues, the US will somehow get into this program is insane,” said Justin Bronk, an air force and technology researcher at the Royal United Services Institute. “Of course they have to consider the future mix of hunters. It makes sense because the amounts are wrong, and they haven’t added up for a long time.”
Watch the video above to learn more about the most expensive weapon system in history.