The Air Force Already Cannot Finish the F-35 Upgrade It Paid For. Now, It Is Being Asked to Fund Three More Stealth Programs at Once

The Air Force Already Cannot Finish the F-35 Upgrade It Paid For. Now, It Is Being Asked to Fund Three More Stealth Programs at Once frames the Pentagon’s dilemma over resourcing more stealth efforts. The article says Lockheed Martin is promoting an F-35 “Ferrari” upgrade, a fifth-generation-plus Block 4 effort that would incorporate sixth-generation technology concepts into the existing jet. However, it notes that Block 4 is already more than $6 billion over budget and at least five years behind schedule, citing the Government Accountability Office. It adds that the Air Force is also funding a new sixth-generation fighter program and a modernized F-22 at the same time. The piece argues the Pentagon must explain why it should trust a fourth stealth initiative when the fourth upgrade milestone is already slipping. It states that Block 4’s plan for 66 capabilities by 2026 has moved to 2029, then to the early 2030s, with a reduced scope targeted by 2031 at the earliest. It cites a Congressional Research Service estimate of costs rising from $10.6 billion to $16.5 billion by 2021, along with delivery delays in 2024 averaging 238 days.