The F-35A is designed to revolutionize the Air Force fighter jets.
It would take the missions of several aircraft and do it all. The maintenance would be cheaper and easier thanks to the latest computer software. The list of planes that would replace it was long. But the operating cost of the plane, which is about $ 36,000 per hour, is still about $ 10,000 more expensive than older fighters in the air force supply.
“The biggest cost challenge we face in the aircraft is the cost of living conditions of the aircraft,” said Brig. Gen. David Abba, director of the Air Force’s F-35 integration office. “What I can tell you is that the air force is focusing on that.”
Although the F-35 is an incredibly capable aircraft, it appears that the air force has decided to diversify its fleet. The F-15EX – an upgraded version of the F-15 that first flew in the 1970s – is on the acquisition block, and the first F-15EX was delivered to the Air Force this month. Recent remarks by Air Force Chief of Staff Charles Brown Jr. also pointed to the possibility of acquiring a light fighter to be a replacement for the aging F-16.
“The idea that, because there are some affordable challenges that the US is somehow only going to sponsor this program, is crazy,” said Justin Bronk, an Air Force and technology research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute , said. “Of course they have to consider the future fighter mix. It makes sense because the sums don’t add up, and they haven’t added in a long time.”
Watch the video above to find out more about the most expensive weapon system in history.