The U.S. Dept. of Defense released an inspector general’s report that concludes the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office has not consistently held Lockheed Martin accountable for poor performance in sustainment activities for the stealth fighter aircraft. Despite the report’s conclusion that confirmed the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft has achieved a readiness rate of just 50%, the contractor was paid $1.7 billion without any fees or adjustments.
Lockheed is the lead contractor for the single-engine F-35 - the largest defense program, with hundreds of partner supplies and subcontractors. It delivered 110 aircraft in 2024 and reported in October that it would deliver as many as 190 in 2025.
Because the F-35 is in service to three military branches - the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Navy (as well as more than a dozen allied defense forces) - the Joint Program Office is the Pentagon’s managing body.
The fighter’s delivery cost has been a point of contention between the Defense Dept. and Lockheed throughout the program’s two-decade existence - but the sustainment and maintenance costs are a growing concern for the Pentagon and the jets’ operators.
The IG report, which reviews the period from June 2024 through July 1, was a response to complaints that F-35 operators have registered about the aircrafts’ availability.
According to the report, the Joint Program Office did not track F-35 readiness rates, despite the fact that the aircraft were unavailable for missions about half the time.
“Specifically, the JPO did not include aircraft readiness performance metrics in the contract, failed to enforce material inspection and government property reporting requirements, and did not effectively use contracting officer’s representatives for oversight,” according to the Office of Inspector General.
To address and fix the sustainment problems, the OIG report recommends the F-35 JPO to update the Lockheed contract to incorporate incentive metrics in line with USAF, USMC, and USN performance requirements; and redirect the contracting officer’s responsibilities to monitor and report on Lockheed Martin’s performance evaluation data more effectively.
The report also recommends that the Pentagon and F-35 Joint Program Office evaluate and adjust staffing levels at bases where F-35 oversight is necessary.
