(Bloomberg) -- The Pentagon’s cost to develop and produce Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 has risen almost 10% to about $485 billion now that money needed for engine improvements has been included in the official estimate for the costliest US weapons system.
The previous $442 billion estimate for the fighter jet was changed officially earlier this year, but that wasn’t disclosed until the Defense Department’s latest Selected Acquisition Report assessing the program was posted online recently.
The majority of the increase stems from the expected costs for the upgrade of the plane’s engine core and improvements to its “power thermal management,” which “is a high-priority initiative,” the Defense Department’s F-35 program office said in a statement. Those are needed to provide improved cooling for more capable software and for the plane’s radar and other components.
The current cooling system requires “the engine to operate beyond its design parameters,” the Government Accountability Office reported last year, as “the extra heat is increasing the wear on the engine, reducing its life.”
The upgrade takes on greater importance because the Pentagon and military services have extended the jet’s estimated operational life to 2088 from 2077. More than 1,000 F-35s have been delivered to the US military and international partners in a program projected to produce more than 3,000 aircraft.
Over coming years more than 700 F-35s will operate in Europe but only 60 will be US-owned and operated, according to the program office.
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