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The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, developed from the Joint Strike Fighter program to replace older models like the F-16 and F/A-18, is facing scrutiny following a declassified Pentagon study. The report highlights reliability and maintenance issues with America's most expensive weapons system.
The Project on Government Oversight (POGO) obtained the document through the Freedom of Information Act. Greg Williams, director of POGO's Center for Defense Information, expressed concerns about these findings to BNN Bloomberg. "The Trump administration should bear in mind we’ve been flying the F-35 for 18 years, and we still can't maintain it, keep its stealth skin intact, or shoot its gun straight," he said.
Despite problems identified in a classified report accessed by only select members of Congress, the Department of Defense decided to increase production. Issues include aircraft availability failures, unreliable maintenance requirements, inaccurate targeting by its rotary cannon, and logistical challenges with certain variants.
