{"id":44118,"date":"2021-06-29T21:29:41","date_gmt":"2021-06-29T21:29:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2021\/06\/29\/smith-slams-f-35-lifecycle-costs-in-latest-salvo\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:42:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:42:10","slug":"smith-slams-f-35-lifecycle-costs-in-latest-salvo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2021\/06\/29\/smith-slams-f-35-lifecycle-costs-in-latest-salvo\/","title":{"rendered":"Smith slams F-35 lifecycle costs: \u2018We can do a hell of a lot better\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2015 House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith on Tuesday criticized Lockheed Martin and other contractors over the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and its exorbitant lifecycle costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no question that everyone involved \u2015 certainly Lockheed Martin \u2015 could be doing a better job on getting sustainment costs down,\u201d Smith, D-Wash., told the Defense Writer\u2019s Group. \u201cThe sustainment costs \u2015 and it varies, I understand they\u2019re as high as $38,000 an hour, and that is incredibly expensive \u2015 it\u2019ll make the plane so that you don\u2019t really want to operate it any more than you absolutely have to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The comments are the latest volley at the F-35 program<\/a> from Smith, who called the fighter a \u201crathole\u201d in March<\/a>. He has been pointing to the F-35\u2032s costs and performance problems as a symbol of the Pentagon acquisition system\u2019s shortcomings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Air Force officials plan to complete a business-case analysis this summer to attack escalating sustainment costs, the service\u2019s top uniformed acquisition official, Lt. Gen. Duke Richardson, said at a Senate hearing last week. In addition, the Air Force is negotiating a three-year sustainment contract with performance incentives, instead of the standard annual contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\t