The findings on the US$2 trillion program are likely to add fuel to criticism from some of President Donald Trump’s supporters, including billionaire Elon Musk, who argue that the jet is too expensive and becoming obsolete in the age of drone warfare.
A blistering new assessment of the F-35 stealth-fighter program said the Pentagon is rewarding Lockheed Martin Corp with on-time payment bonuses even when it delivers planes as much as two months late, and with many of the delivered jets beset by flaws that could take years to fix.
The F-35 program’s use of incentive fees — or bonuses — paid to Lockheed and engine maker Pratt & Whitney “has largely been ineffective at holding the contractors accountable to delivering engines and aircraft on time,” the Government Accountability Office said in an annual review released Wednesday. The incentives allow Lockheed Martin “to deliver aircraft up to 60 days late and still earn some of the fee,” it said.
