Troubled F-35C Lightning II stealth fighter jets recently completed flight operations aboard an East Coast-based aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, for the first time earlier in December.
The Washington, homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, and embarked Carrier Air Wing 7 took to the Atlantic Ocean to conduct cyclic operations, which simulate future operational missions. This was the first time the F-35C Lightning II training had taken place aboard a carrier operating in the Atlantic.
“Working to integrate with the ‘Team Freedom’ air wing demonstrates that our warship continues to meet critical milestones in preparation for conducting global operations. I am exceptionally proud of our crew for making history during this underway period,” said Capt. Brent Gaut, commanding officer of the Washington.
The training provided the crew an opportunity to operate the first-of-its-kind fifth-generation aircraft before the ship shifts homeports to Japan in 2024. Over three days, the crew conducted 141 flights, 67 daytime arrested landings and 17 night landings with brief pauses to allow for maintenance and fueling. While in the air, pilots completed various exercises, from close air support of troops on the ground and air-to-air maneuvers.
While the completion of the training is a milestone, U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman said during a Dec. 12 hearing on the F-35 acquisition program that lawmakers’ patience is “wearing thin” as the aircraft continues to be plagued by cost overruns and delays.
“My friends, the F-35 is a technological marvel, but the delays in fielding required capabilities are disturbing,” Wittman said during the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee hearing.
The Department of Defense has been working to bring nearly 2,500 F-35s to the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps fleets for 22 years. But the acquisition program is 10 years behind schedule and 80% over budget.
A September report from the Government Accountability Office said the equipment needed to keep the aircraft operational is inadequate and there are delays in setting up military service facilities needed for the most complex repairs. There is also a lack of access to technical data for repairs and a lack of spare parts, both of which cause maintenance delays.
These issues are driving the program cost up to $1.7 trillion, spread over the coming decades, the report said. Of that amount, $1.3 trillion is associated with operating and sustaining the aircraft.
The accountability office also found that the jet’s mission-capable rate — the percentage of time the jet can perform one of its tasked missions — was about 55% in March, falling short of the program’s goal of 85%.
“Much has been accomplished in the development of the F-35, but the modernization efforts appear costly, complex and critical to staying ahead of our potential adversaries,” Jon Ludwigson, director of contracting and national security acquisitions for the Government Accountability Office, said as a witness during the subcommittee hearing.
The F-35 Lightning II is touted as being the most lethal aircraft in the U.S. military arsenal. There are three variations of the aircraft: one that conducts conventional takeoffs and landings, one that does short takeoffs and vertical landings and one that is equipped for carrier landings.
The Pentagon has planned for 1,763 F-35s to go to the Air Force, 420 to the Marine Corps and 273 to the Navy. To date, around 980 jets have been delivered.
The jets have been integrated aboard San Diego-based aircraft carriers USS Carl Vinson and USS Abraham Lincoln. An at-sea system development and demonstration was completed in 2016 aboard the USS George Washington but the Norfolk-based carrier entered the Newport News shipyard in 2017 for a more than six-year overhaul.
Caitlyn Burchett, caitlyn.burchett@virginiamedia.com
