[News] US admits F-35 program failure after decades and trillions spent

[Anti-Imperialist News]

english.almayadeen.net 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-admits-f-35-program-failure-after-decades-and-trillions-s> 



  US admits F-35 program failure after decades and trillions spent

Al Mayadeen English
October 7, 2025
------------------------------------------------------------------------

A new Pentagon report admits the F-35 will never achieve its promised 
capabilities, exposing a $2 trillion defense failure and shaking 
confidence in the US military’s weapons program.

  * A squadron US Air Force F-35 Lightning II aircraft flyover as US
    President Donald Trump greets Polish President Karol Nawrocki at the
    White House, Wednesday, September. 3, 2025, in Washington. (AP
    Photo/Alex Brandon)
    <https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/10/7/7832142a-5a5b-4769-8734-1171b6870733.jpg?v=4&width=1000>
    A squadron of US Air Force F-35 Lightning II aircraft fly over as US
    President Donald Trump greets Polish President Karol Nawrocki at the
    White House, Wednesday, September 3, 2025, in Washington. (/AP
    /Photo/Alex Brandon)

Nearly 25 years after awarding Lockheed Martin 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/Economy/lockheed-martin-shares-reach-all-time-high-amid-geopolitical> 
the contract to build the Joint Strike Fighter Program, /Responsible 
Statecraft/ analyst Dan Grazier says that the US government has finally 
admitted that the F-35 will never achieve the combat capabilities it was 
designed to deliver.

A new Government Accountability Office 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-army-ground-vehicles-fall-short-on-readiness-as-costs-soa> 
(GAO) report released last month details the program’s ongoing issues 
and includes a key acknowledgment: “The program plans to reduce the 
scope of Block 4 to deliver capabilities to the warfighter at a more 
predictable pace than in the past.”

Grazier says that this statement, while phrased bureaucratically, is a 
quiet admission that the F-35 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/erdogan-presses-trump-on-f-35--f-16-jet-sales-at-white-house> 
will not meet its original goals. “Reducing the scope of Block 4” 
effectively means that planned combat capabilities are being abandoned.

The Joint Strike Fighter Program began in the early 2000s as the 
Pentagon’s most ambitious weapons development initiative, a single 
aircraft platform meant to serve multiple branches of the US military 
and allied nations.

*Read more: Lockheed records surge in missile sales as Ukraine war 
drives demand 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/Economy/lockheed-records-surge-in-missile-sales-as-ukraine-war-drive>*

However, as the GAO report notes, many of the F-35’s core design 
elements remain incomplete. Officials were unable to finish the jet’s 
baseline development on time or within budget. Instead of admitting 
failure, they rebranded the process as the “modernization phase,” also 
known as Block 4, to mask ongoing design work.

Grazier says “reducing the scope” of this modernization effort confirms 
that many of the F-35’s touted features in areas like electronic 
warfare, weapons integration, and navigation will never materialize.


    Lockheed Martin’s 'modernization' phase masks ongoing failures

The decision marks a stunning reversal for the Pentagon, which for years 
defended the F-35 as the future of aerial warfare 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/sweden-s-saab-to-deliver-first-anti-drone-missile-in-2026>. 
With costs exceeding $2 trillion, the program has become the most 
expensive weapons project in history.

For two decades, Lockheed Martin and US military 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/pentagon-pushes-to-double-missile-production-amid-concerns-o> 
officials promised a revolutionary fighter jet that would ensure 
American air superiority for generations. Instead, the GAO findings 
reveal a project mired in delays, performance shortfalls, and spiraling 
expenses.

The report also highlights how the Pentagon reclassified unfinished 
development work as “modernization” to secure continued funding and 
avoid scrutiny from Congress.


    Fallout for US allies and global weapons sales

Grazuer states that the ramifications of the F-35’s shortcomings go 
beyond wasted money. 19 countries have purchased or plan to operate the 
aircraft 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/germany-affirms-commitment-to-us-made-f-35-jets--approves-ki>, 
including the United Kingdom, Norway, and Italy, many of whom were 
partners in the program from the outset.

These nations invested heavily, expecting the world’s most advanced 
fighter jet. Instead, they now face rising costs and reduced 
performance. For allies that committed billions based on Washington’s 
assurances, the admission could strain future defense spending 
cooperation and arms sales.

If the US military cannot deliver the promised technology, Grazier says 
skepticism toward future US weapons programs may grow, reducing trust in 
the country’s defense industry.

*Read more: 200+ orgs urge nations to halt supply of F-35 parts to 
'Israel' 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/200--orgs-urge-nations-to-halt-supply-of-f-35-parts-to--isra>*


    A symbol of flawed defense spending and mismanagement

The /Responsible Statecraft /report says the F-35 program has become a 
cautionary tale of overreach, that of an effort to design one aircraft 
to meet the needs of multiple branches and allies, while serving 
political and industrial interests at home.

As critics note, trying to build a single jet to satisfy at least 15 
militaries worldwide was doomed from the start. What was intended as a 
triumph of innovation has turned into a $2 trillion emblem of waste, 
inefficiency, and failed accountability in US defense policy.

For the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin, Grazier says the F-35 may not 
stand as the future of warfare, but as a monument to the limits of 
ambition and the dangers of unchecked defense spending.

*Read more: Spain, Switzerland, India reconsider F-35 purchases amid US 
tariffs 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/spain--switzerland--india-reconsider-f-35-purchases-amid-us>*

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