The U.S. government may need an additional $38 billion to overhaul the engines of Lockheed Martin Corp’s F-35 fighter jets if it wants to meet the need to cool radars and other components, Bloomberg reported, citing government auditors.
Specifically, in its annual report released on May 30, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) said that the F-35 fighter jet - the world's most expensive weapons system, is having problems with its cooling system.
US Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter
Overloading of cooling systems forced engines to operate beyond their design parameters, the report said. “The extra heat is increasing wear, reducing engine life and adding $38 billion in maintenance costs,” the report said.
The more air pressure it transfers, the hotter the F-35’s engines get. The electrical system, which relies on design specifications designed years ago, can’t keep up with the cooling demands of the jet’s increasingly complex avionics, the GAO said.
Asked about the cooling system issue before the GAO report was released, a Lockheed representative said “capabilities continue to evolve based on customer needs” and the company “is working to address and support these requests.”
Previously, the Defense Department's F-35 program agency estimated that the lifespan of these fighter jet parts could be reduced by up to 20% if the engine overheating problem was not addressed. According to the agency, the engines of the F-35A model currently operated by the US Air Force are expected to need to be overhauled every 1,600 flight hours instead of the previous 2,000 flight hours.
Demand for the US-made F-35 has been increasing amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict and escalating US-China tensions. The F-35 is the most expensive weapon in US military history and variants of the fighter are used by the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, according to Stars and Stripes.
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