Why stealth fighter F-35 can become a $2 trillion problem for India

This is because analysts are raising questions about F-35's long-term maintenance costs and its effectiveness. This fifth-generation aircraft, which entered service in 2015 with its breathtaking unmatched stealth and intelligence-gathering capabilities, is turning out to be a very costly weapon in the US arsenal.

Surging price

According to a 2024 US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, the jet fighter's projected lifetime sustainment costs have surged to more than $1.58 trillion in 2023.

Besides the soaring costs, the F-35 grapples with performance issues, reliability concerns and operations concerns due to its complex software.

Critics argue that the aircraft was "over-designed" to meet too many requirements, leading to a costly and overly complex system.

Trump, Musk's criticism

But notably, this stunning stealth fighter has even been criticised by Trump and Musk as well. In 2016, Trump had tweeted that the F-35 programme’s cost is "out of control" and he had promised to rein in expenses once in office.

Musk, meanwhile, described it as an "expensive and complex jack of all trades, master of none” in a post on X in November 2023. Questioning the relevance of manned fighter jets in the era of drones... "And manned fighter jets are obsolete in the age of drones anyway. Will just get pilots killed.”

In a tweet, he had also said with sarcasm, "Meanwhile, some idiots are still building manned fighter jets like the F-35". Besides taking a dig at how the F-35 may help the pilots get 'laid' while drones can't, Musk's anti-F-35 rhetoric reached a high point when he said, “Some US weapons systems are good, albeit overpriced, but please, in the name of all that is holy, let us stop the worst military value for money in history that is the F-35 program!”

The 25-ton stealth warplane had become the very problem it was supposed to solve, pointed out analysts. So, what else will India have to deal with if it buys the F-35 and its variants besides its prohibitive costs, which is even expensive for the USA?

Also read: Trump offers mighty F-35 aircraft for India. Should we take it?

Availability issues

To start with, a 2024 GAO has flagged that none of the F-35 variants—F-35A, F-35B, or F-35C—are meeting availability targets. There are manufacturing delays and the overall fleet availability has declined over the past five years. And, they had questioned the programme's sustainability.

Modernisation setbacks

Moreover, the GAO pointed out that a $16.5 billion effort to upgrade the aircraft with improved radar, weapon systems, and software got tangled up with significant delays due to software stability issues. Similarly, they tried to improve the engine capabilities and thermal management system, which did not happen and so experts felt overheating can impact the aircraft’s performance during combat scenarios.

The GAO had issued 43 recommendations to enhance the F-35 programme. But the US department of defense is yet to implement 30 of them, further delaying improvements and cost-saving measures.

While stealthy and stacked with high-tech sensors, it’s also maintenance-intensive, heavy and unreliable.

High-profile crashes

F35 is not reliable as well, it seems. It has been part of many high-profile crashes – in the most recent incident, an F-35 pilot in Alaska was forced to eject mid-flight due to an “in-flight malfunction.”

Last May, an F-35 pilot in New Mexico suffered serious injuries after ejecting before a crash near Albuquerque’s airport. In September 2023 too, another pilot had to forcibly eject over Charleston, South Carolina. The jet flew unmanned for some minutes before crashing into a field.

Also read: F35 stealth fighters: What's the 'American beast' US wants to sell to India?

Lifetime sustaining costs

However, for India, a huge source of concern for India will be the lifetime sustainment costs. This has increased from $1.1 trillion in 2018 to $1.58 trillion in 2023.

The F-35 is not a low-cost, lightweight fighter said experts. Others have called it a 'Ferrari' since the designers tried to make the F35 do too much.

Advantages of the 'Ferrari'

However, supporters have said that the F-35 or the B-21 is expensive due to the software and electronics, not the pilot per se and drones cannot replace it. Since drones need to get all that flashy electronics of an F-35, which is expensive. Moreover, it serves as a deterrent forcing Russia and China to make budget allocations they would not do otherwise.

The manufacturer Lockheed too further emphasised that the F-35 “is the most advanced, survivable and connected fighter aircraft in the world, a vital deterrent and the cornerstone of joint all-domain operations.”

In a nutshell

Finally, in a nutshell, the F-35 is undeniably a state-of-the art fighter, but its maintenance and operational demands pose significant challenges. And, if the programme is projected to notch up $2 trillion in costs over its lifetime, and it comes saddled with operational concerns, India must probably think hard and long before taking up Trump’s offer.