Quote:
Originally Posted by clive milne
On average, the F35A has a critical failure every 4.5hrs of air time requiring 12 hours to repair (out of service hours, not man hours)
F-35B -- critical failure after 3 hours, requiring 15.5 hours of repairs.
F-35C critical failure after 2.7 hours before 9.6 hours for corrective maintenance time.
Elgin AFB has 17 mechanics per aircraft.
When you factor in the cost of keeping them in the air, it's around US $600M per aircraft.
And that is peace time.... Imagine what it would cost to keep these lumps in the air during a conflict?
Source:
http://www.defense-aerospace.com/art...%26s-cost.html
The most expensive dreadnaught ever built. |
Indeed.
Israeli airforce has been forbidden to fly the F-35 over Syria after a stern request from the Pentagon after it was revealed that not only had Russia fully radar mapped the USAF's F-22 Raptor (meaning it's stealth is completely negated), but also the F-35 has been 90% mapped (and Israel got a shock when a Syrian S-200 SAM was able to target the F-35 and explode near - Israel and the Pentagon later claimed it was a "bird strike").
The USAF were mortified when their F-22's kept getting radar locks (complete tone) from unknown adversaries...
Guess where the USAF relocated the F-22 to...Afghanistan...and use it for bombing
