President Donald Trump offered to sell F-35 fighter jets to India during PM Modi’s recent visit to the USA.
“Starting this year, we’ll be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We’re also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters,” Trump told a joint news conference addressed by him and Prime Minister Modi.
But the real issue is why the USA wants to sell India the most expensive weapon system in human history which was once billed to be a fighter jet that could do almost everything the U.S. military desired and was expected to replace the F-16 and Harrier jump jets.
Significantly in 2016 even Donald Trump the then-president-elect blasted the F-35 stealth fighter for its cost overruns as the most expensive weapon system in history. “The F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th,” Trump wrote on Twitter. But now in his second term as President of the USA, he is talking a different language.
The F-35 Lightning II, a single-seat, single-engine, multi-role fighter aircraft developed by Lockheed Martin has earned the reputation of one of the most troubled defence projects in recent history due to delays, cost overruns, and technical issues. The F-35 has experienced several crashes during its development and operational history.
On Jan. 28, 2025, an F-35A fighter jet crashed at the Eielson US Air Force Base in Alaska due to an in-flight malfunction during a training session. However, the pilot ejected safely. This was one of at least 12 F-35 air crashes since September 2018, when a US Marine Corps F-35B crashed in South Carolina –in what was the first-ever crash of an F-35. The cause of the crash was attributed to mechanical failure in the aircraft’s engine system and failure of the engine’s turbine blade, leading to loss of thrust. This incident led to a temporary grounding of the F-35 fleet while investigations were conducted. The investigation led to several design changes, particularly with the engine and its components.
In April 2019, a 41-year-old Japanese Air Force pilot Major Akinori Hosomi was killed when an F-35A stealth fighter on a night training mission disappeared from the radar screens and crashed into the Pacific Ocean 28 minutes after taking off from Misawa air base. The incident was attributed to a faulty engine component.
According to the Japan Air Self-Defence Force (JASDF), the pilot who had about 60 flying hours of flying experience in the F-35A gave no signal that he was in trouble and didn’t even try to eject from the aircraft which reportedly lost control and dropped down at a speed of about 1,100km/h. All communication with the pilot was lost thereafter.
Japan is replacing its ageing fleet of F-4 Phantom II fighters with the F-35A Lightning II jets which cost at least $90m each and plans to induct about 150 more in the coming years to counter North Korea’s growing military capabilities and aggressive posturing. These F-35s are expected to play a crucial role in Japan’s strategy of countering not only North Korea’s missile and nuclear threats but also challenges posed by China. The upgraded fleet would offer Japan enhanced deterrence and the ability to project power more effectively in the region, especially as tensions around the Korean Peninsula and the East China Sea continue to rise.
In May 2020, an F-35A crashed while landing at Eglin Air Force Base. The aircraft belonging to the 58th Fighter Squadron was on a training flight and crashed during a landing attempt at the Florida air base. Though the pilot ejected safely, the aircraft was destroyed. The crash prompted an investigation by the U.S. Air Force which concluded that the incident was caused by a combination of issues, including malfunction in the aircraft’s flight control system as a result the pilot lost consciousness and was unable to control the aircraft during landing. This crash also led to further scrutiny and reviews of the aircraft’s systems to ensure that safety concerns were addressed. Despite this, the production and deployment of the F-35 jets continued to move forward and such incidents could not halt the aircraft’s operational capabilities and integration into various air forces worldwide.
In November 2021 a British single-engine, short-take-off vertical landing variant of the US F-35 stealth fighter jet on a routine flight operation crashed into the Mediterranean Sea while operating off HMS Queen Elizabeth — one of the UK’s two aircraft carriers and the largest warship (weighing 65,000-ton) the UK has ever sent to sea since HMS Hermes in 1983. Britain plans to be the third-largest operator with a fleet of 138 F-35 jets just behind the United States and Japan – each costing about $115 million. In 2021 nearly 10 US Marine Corps F-35s and eight British stealth jets operated off Queen Elizabeth as part of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group 21 in what was the first combat action by a UK aircraft carrier against ISIS in the Middle East in more than a decade.
In January 2022, a South Korean Air Force F-35A made a belly landing after its landing gear malfunctioned due to electronic issues.
Drawbacks and Limitations
US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin has so far delivered over 1,000 F-35 aircraft to the US military and its global partners. F-35 and its variants are flown by the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps as well as US allies and partners including Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands and Israel. The US military operates about 630 F-35 variants with plans to procure over 1,800 more jets for the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy by the mid-2040s.
The F-35 is one of the most expensive fighter aircraft ever produced. The F-35 is expensive to buy, maintain, and operate. Its production costs are significantly higher than initially expected, making it one of the most expensive defence programs ever.
According to the New York Times, “flying an F-35A cost about $44,000 per hour on average — about double the cost of operating the Navy’s Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.”
A single F-35A, the most common variant, costs over $80 million and requires extensive maintenance to keep the fleet operational. The logistics and spare parts needed to support the F-35 are costly and difficult to manage. The aircraft’s complex systems and advanced materials require specialized tools and expertise, making maintenance a time-consuming and expensive process.
There have been ongoing problems with the F-35’s software, which is essential for the fighter’s performance, avionics, and weapons systems. For example, the Block 4 software upgrade, designed to enhance the aircraft’s capabilities by adding new features (like the ability to carry and deploy new weapons), has faced delays. These issues have led to delays in the aircraft’s capabilities and readiness for combat.
The F-35 program was launched in 2001, to create a versatile, stealthy fighter aircraft that could perform multiple tasks, including air-to-air combat, air-to-ground strikes, and reconnaissance. Accordingly F-35 Lightning II fifth-generation fighter jet developed by Lockheed Martin, made its first flight in December 2006 which was hailed as a landmark in military aviation. However, the F-35 program has been plagued by reliability, maintenance issues, and delays in deliveries.
In 2019, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that the F-35 program had experienced significant delays and cost overruns. The report stated that the program had spent over $1.7 trillion, making it the most expensive defence program in history.
There have also been troubles building a simulator for pilot training.
One of the main problems with the F-35 referred to as a “flying computer” is its complex and ambitious design. The aircraft features advanced stealth capabilities, a sophisticated sensor suite, and a powerful engine. However, these features have proven difficult to integrate, leading to delays and cost overruns.
Despite being one of the most advanced stealth fighters in the world, the F-35 has several drawbacks and limitations.
One of the biggest drawbacks is that the F-35s break down far more frequently than anticipated but the program cannot repair aircraft when they break down. It takes far too long to repair them. The Pentagon established a 60-day goal whereas it took an average of 141 days to repair an F-35 at the depots. The Pentagon is now 12 years behind schedule in setting up the maintenance depots.
As a result, the entire F-35 enterprise relies heavily on Lockheed Martin contractors to keep the program running as per the original contract which specifically mentioned that the contractor would perform a majority of the sustainment work for the program. That ensured a reliable revenue stream for Lockheed Martin but has hampered the overall effectiveness of the program as according to the GAO reports it takes twice as long for the contract maintainers to complete the maintenance work than their uniformed counterparts.
Another problem without a solution in sight is that dozens of F-35 aircraft have been stranded on the ground over the past few years because of a shortage of spare parts for the F-35’s engine including canopies, distributed aperture system sensors, nacelle vent fans, and at least seven other critical components. In February 2022 — about 8 per cent — 36 out of about 450 F-35s were unable to fly because they had no working engine.
This is a recipe for disaster waiting to happen as instead of slowing down the aircraft production to catch up with the increasing demand for spares, the Pentagon wants to buy at least 780 new F-35s before the end of the decade.
The root cause of problems faced by the F-35 program is that the Pentagon failed to transfer intellectual property from Lockheed Martin as part of the original 2001 contract, as a result, Lockheed Martin has an absolute monopoly whereas the government does not control the data rights and cannot perform maintenance work in the F-35 program.
Over the years, there have been multiple reports of bugs, deficiencies, and glitches affecting the F-35’s performance. For example, some issues have been reported in the aircraft’s mission systems and sensors, which have led to reduced operational capabilities. Some bugs have even affected the accuracy of weapons targeting or the aircraft’s ability to communicate with other aircraft and systems.
The F-35’s range and payload capacity are somewhat limited compared to other aircraft in its class, such as the F-22 or legacy bombers.
The F-35’s ability to perform in adverse weather conditions or degraded environments (such as GPS jamming or cyberattacks), has raised concerns about its versatility.
Some critics argue that the F-35’s radar, sensors air-to-air combat performance and overall agility don’t fully meet the high expectations and are less than optimal when compared to older-generation fighters.
Even the F-35’s highly touted so-called advanced stealth capability is not foolproof and does not make it entirely invisible. The aircraft’s radar systems and stealth capabilities can be compromised by various factors, including weather and terrain. Certain advanced radar systems can detect stealth aircraft even beyond the visual range, limiting the F-35’s advantage in contested airspace.
The F-35 program has been plagued with delays and has experienced several reliability issues, including problems with its engine, electrical system, and software. As a result, the development and testing phases took longer than expected, leading to a delayed operational deployment. This extended timeline increased the costs and significantly hampered the aircraft’s reliability, performance, long-term financial viability and investment required to keep it operational.
According to the Pentagon’s test director, “the F-35 program has shown no improvement in meeting schedule and performance timelines for developing and testing software designed to address deficiencies and add new capabilities,” he said in the Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2024, published in January 2025.
Still, Lockheed Martin calls F-35 “the most lethal, survivable and connected fighter aircraft in the world, giving pilots an advantage against any adversary and enabling them to execute their mission and come home safe.”
“Lockheed Martin is fully committed to advancing and delivering unmatched air dominance solutions to the United States and our allies, helping to ensure America continues to own the skies,” the company said in a statement, though Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla described the F-35 as “junk” because of its high operational and maintenance cost as well as limited capabilities.
“Some idiots are still building manned fighter jets like the F-35. Manned fighter jets are obsolete in the age of drones anyway. Will just get pilots killed … Crewed fighter jets are an inefficient way to extend the range of missiles or drop bombs. A reusable drone can do so without all the overhead of a human pilot,” Musk commented in a video posted on X. Musk’s point of view is simple and valid – drones are rapidly transforming defence operations and even nations with limited budgets can acquire drone based reconnaissance and air defence systems that are quite effective but not too expensive to buy or maintain.
Musk’s comments sparked a heated debate about the F-35 program and its value to the military. While some defended the F-35 as a cutting-edge aircraft with advanced capabilities, others criticized its high cost and limited reliability.
Conclusion
Despite its advanced capabilities, the F-35 fighter has been plagued by delays, cost overruns, and technical issues, leading to high cost, maintenance issues, and limited reliability. The aircraft’s crash record is also concerning, with several incidents and fatalities during its development and operational history. Elon Musk’s criticism of the F-35 as “junk” highlights the need for a more critical evaluation of the program and its value to the military.
