GAO: F-35 hurt by parts issue

The Pentagon is accelerating production of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 jet even though the planes already delivered are facing “significantly longer repair times” than planned because maintenance facilities are six years behind schedule, according to a draft audit. The Government Accountability Office, Congress’s watchdog agency, found the time to repair a part has averaged 172 days, twice the program’s objective. The shortages are “degrading readiness” because the fighter jets “were unable to fly about 22 percent of the time” from January through August for lack of needed parts. (Source: Bloomberg, 10/23/17) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.