50% of US F-35 fighters are "unreliable" due to technical errors

"The operational capability of the F-35 fighter force remains lower than expected, forcing the US military to apply solutions to overcome the situation that is unacceptable in combat situations," Mr. Robert Behler, the new director of the Pentagon's Department of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOTE), emphasized in a report yesterday, according toRT.

Mr. Behler said that the reliability of the F-35 fleet is currently at 50% and "has not improved since October 2014, despite the increase in the number of new aircraft." Most of the fighters are grounded due to lack of spare parts.

The 60-page report on the F-35 fighter jet released by Mr. Behler is part of a comprehensive review of the US Department of Defense's weapons testing activities in 2017. The F-35 fighter jet still has a series of technical problems, including 301 errors ranked as priority levels one and two, but only 88 errors are being reviewed.

A representative of manufacturer Lockheed Martin later defended the F-35 program, saying the project was progressing well and the corporation was working with the Pentagon to improve repairability and order new parts. "The operational readiness of new fighters is typically above 60%, while some combat units are reaching 70%," said Lockheed Martin spokeswoman Carolyn Nelson.

Lockheed Martin is expected to complete the 16-year development process of the F-35 series this year. This 5th generation fighter uses a modular design based on a basic airframe, creating different versions for the US military branches. This is supposed to cut manufacturing and maintenance costs, but in reality, the F-35 project has not met expectations as it has been repeatedly delayed and overpriced, becoming the most expensive weapons program in US history with a total budget of 1,200 billion USD.