American expert declares F-35 fighter jets "flop" despite $300 billion investment

American military expert Dan Grazier has called the F-35 fighter jet program, which has been in development for over 23 years and has cost nearly $300 billion, a “complete flop”.

Writing in Responsible Statecraft, Grazier warns that the American public has received little return on this massive investment. Despite the extensive time and resources poured into the program, the new F-35 jets coming off the assembly line in Fort Worth still have only limited combat capabilities, according to Caliber.Az.

Grazier argues that it will likely take years for engineers to finalize the necessary hardware and software upgrades to bring the jets to full combat readiness. Furthermore, the F-35s already in service have shown a troubling lack of reliability.

According to Grazier, the fleet’s mission capability rate for all of 2023 was just 30%, raising serious concerns about the program’s effectiveness.

“The American people need to come to grips with the fact that the F-35 program is a complete flop,” Grazier stated. “Most leaders of the national security establishment are unlikely to say so in such blunt terms, but some of them are now tacitly admitting the truth, probably without realizing they are.”

The remarks are a sharp critique of a program that has faced continuous delays and cost overruns, which critics argue have made the F-35’s promised capabilities increasingly unlikely to materialize in the foreseeable future.

Conclusion

The F-35 program, despite being a cornerstone of U.S. military strategy and defense spending for over two decades, has proven to be a costly failure. With a staggering $300 billion investment and persistent technical issues, including a low mission-capable rate and significant gaps in combat capabilities, the F-35 is far from meeting the needs of the military.

The focus on the program's economic impact, rather than its military effectiveness, reflects a desperate attempt to justify continued funding, despite the aircraft's lacklustre performance. This is reminiscent of previously failed defence programs like the Littoral Combat Ship.

Moving forward, the U.S. should prioritize military value over economic arguments and re-evaluate its defense procurement process to avoid repeating these costly mistakes. Reducing F-35 production until its design is complete would send a strong message that future defense spending must be aligned with actual military requirements, not political or economic pressures.

By Khagan Isayev