The Big F-35 Flaw That Won't Be Easy to Fix...stealth can't hide this...

via National Interest.

GAO report notes that F-35 operators “need to…perform time-consuming, manual workarounds in order to manage and track spare parts,” requiring over 45,000 hours of additional labor per year. These flaws are leading to “missing or corrupted electronic spare parts data” and the “maintenance and supply systems within ALIS not communicating with each other.”


On April 9, the first F-35A Lightning stealth jet built in Japan mysteriously vanished while flying a training mission over the Pacific Ocean. It’s veteran pilot, who had sixty hours of experience specifically on the F-35, only indicated he was aborting mission before falling entirely out of contact.

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The two crashes illustrate how the components of the ambitious new stealth jet still may require replacement as new potential flaws are discovered and corrected for.

Unfortunately, this process is hampered by a crippling shortage of thousands of spare parts, as described in a new report by the Government Accountability Office. The shortfall has left only half of the brand-new stealth fighters in mission-capable condition, forcing operational F-35 units to cannibalize aircraft as they wait weeks for replacement parts to be delivered.


For several years, the Pentagon has attempted to address the shortage, but according to the GAO, these incoherent measures have so far failed to keep up with the increasing pace of new airframe production.

Story here.

The solution is simple.

An immediate halt to production should take place.  Once that's done then a top to bottom review of every problem identified should take place and fix them!  THEN they should fly the wings off planes that have those fixes.  Once confidence is established THEN they should restart production.

400 planes produced.

Most if not all of them are unsuitable for the missions that they're intended to fly.

The current pace of things is substandard.  A better plan is needed post haste.