Joint Strike Fighter: Additional Costs and Delays Risk Not Meeting Warfighter Requirements on Time

Abstract

The F-35 Lightning II, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), is the Department of Defense's (DOD) most costly and ambitious aircraft acquisition, seeking to simultaneously develop and field three aircraft variants for the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and eight international partners. The JSF is critical for recapitalizing tactical air forces and will require a long-term commitment to very large annual funding outlays. The current estimated investment is $323 billion to develop and procure 2,457 aircraft. As required by law, this report discusses (1) program cost, schedule, and performance; (2) manufacturing results; and (3) test plans and progress. GAO's work includes interviews, cost data, test plans, production measures, and analyses by defense and contractor officials.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2010
Accession Number
ADA516740

Entities

People

  • Bruce Fairbairn
  • Charlie Shivers
  • David Adams
  • Greg Campbell
  • Jason S. Lee
  • Karen Richey
  • Lindsay Taylor
  • Matt Lea
  • Michael Sullivan
  • W. K. Roberts

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Business Administration
  • Congress
  • Contractors
  • Contracts
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Law
  • Reliability
  • Risk Analysis
  • Short Takeoff Aircraft
  • Software Development
  • Test And Evaluation
  • United States
  • United States Government
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Naval Engineering and Maritime Security