The War Department’s inspector general said the U.S. fleet of F-35s was available to fly only about half the time because of poor maintenance by Lockheed Martin, which builds the world’s most advanced stealth fighter.
A report released Friday by the Office of the Inspector General found the average availability rate of F-35s during fiscal 2024 was just 50%, 17 percentage points below the minimum performance requirement.
The watchdog said that was partly because the Pentagon, under the Biden administration, “did not consistently hold Lockheed Martin accountable for poor performance related to F-35 sustainment.
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