GAO Report Reveals Just One Quarter of F-35 Fighter Jets Are Fully Combat Ready
Summary
A newly released Government Accountability Office report reveals that the F-35 Lightning II's readiness has significantly deteriorated, with only 25% of the fleet fully capable of performing all assigned missions in fiscal year 2025, down from 38% in fiscal 2021. The decline has been attributed to software delays on new aircraft, spare parts shortages, and corrosion issues, with the Joint Program Office acknowledging that readiness will likely worsen before improving. To address these problems, the F-35 Joint Program Office launched the Global Support Solution Reset in June 2025, targeting an 80% mission capable rate by 2030, but warns this recovery effort will require an additional $13.7 billion beyond previously planned spending through fiscal 2031. GAO also found that over $114 million in incentive payments were made to prime contractor Lockheed Martin despite stagnating or worsening performance metrics, with performance thresholds being adjusted upward in nearly half of all evaluation periods to qualify the company for higher payments. GAO issued three key recommendations urging the Pentagon to develop risk mitigation plans, restructure contractor incentive programs to potentially include penalties, and establish reliable tracking systems for incentive fee payments.
Key Takeaways
- 1. The F-35 fleet's full mission capable rate has plummeted to just 25% in fiscal 2025, representing a dramatic decline from 38% in fiscal 2021, making it one of DOD's most expensive yet underperforming weapons systems
- 2. The recovery plan, known as the Global Support Solution Reset, will require an additional $13.7 billion beyond previously planned budgets, with sustainment costs projected to create a $1.2 billion annual funding gap by the mid-2030s
- 3. Critical spare parts shortages remain a major obstacle, with a Lockheed Martin study identifying 48 components the supplier base cannot produce in sufficient quantities, including canopies that are a leading cause of grounded aircraft
- 4. Over $114 million was paid to Lockheed Martin in incentive fees despite performance metrics that stagnated or declined, with program officials adjusting readiness figures upward in 19 of 39 evaluation periods to justify higher contractor payments
- 5. GAO found significant record-keeping failures within the Joint Program Office, including inconsistent incentive fee calculations, undocumented formula changes, and a current contract period that lacks any incentives tied to full mission capable rates