The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is the costliest weapon system in US military history. It now faces pushback in Congress
June 05, 2021 Stephen Singer - The Hartford Courant
The Pentagon’s F-35 fighter jet, a revenue mainstay for manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corp. and Connecticut-based engine maker Pratt & Whitney, is facing pushback over its $1.7 trillion lifetime cost, the greatest in U.S. military history for a weapons system.
The Joint Strike Fighter program and its supply chain that’s developed into an industrial system across the United States face few serious threats in Washington. But Congress could halt the practice of adding money to the president’s funding request and, long-term alternative programs could be in the offing.
Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, in March called the F-35 a “rathole” and suggested the U.S. consider cutting its losses by investing in competing fighter jets. A single F-35 costs as much as $80 million.
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2021/06/the-f-35-joint-strike-fighter-is-the-costliest-weapon-system-in-us-military-history-it-now-faces-pushback-in-congress/
