Cost of New U.S.-Made F-35 Fighter Jets Rises By 11%

The cost of U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets in the latest production lots has risen by approximately 11%.

A representative of the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) confirmed the increase to Breaking Defense.

The average price of an F-35A in Lots 18 and 19 will be around $92 million, up 11.5% from the $82.5 million per aircraft under previous production contracts.

The cost of the F-35B, capable of short takeoff and vertical landing, has increased from $109 million to $121.4 million, representing an 11.4% increase.

In June, the U.S. Marine Corps started receiving F-35Bs without their onboard radar systems installed.

The carrier-based F-35C saw the smallest price increase, rising from $102.1 million to $110.8 million, or approximately 8.5%.

The new figures reflect the cost of the aircraft in a flyaway configuration and include equipment supplied separately from the main contract with Lockheed Martin.

According to the Pentagon, the higher cost of the program has been driven by inflation, rising raw material prices, and supply chain disruptions.

The price increase has already affected some foreign buyers. Switzerland, for example, decided to reduce the number of F-35s it plans to purchase following a dispute over the final price.

The projected total cost of F-35 procurement has increased by more than $50 billion. The Pentagon cites aircraft modernization, changes to procurement schedules, and larger stocks of spare parts to improve fleet readiness among the main reasons for the increase.

Additional costs are also associated with F-35 modernization. Work is currently underway on the aircraft’s engine, as well as a new power and thermal management system.

Its technological foundation, Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3), has yet to receive full certification for combat use. As a result, some F-35s delivered over the past two years have been used only for training.

In June, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, in a new audit, reported a sharp decline in the operational readiness of F-35 Lightning II fighter jets in the U.S. armed forces.

The Pentagon plans to procure 148 fighters in each of Lots 18 and 19, for a total of 296 aircraft. F-35 contracts currently involve 20 customers worldwide, including the United States.

In particular, the Pentagon’s latest report on F-35 procurement confirms that the Danish government and the Joint Program Office finalized the previously announced additional order for 16 F-35As by April 21 of this year.