The Defense Department has lifted a block on deliveries of the F-35 stealth fighter jet after resolving a dispute over repairs with manufacturer Lockheed Martin.
The military stopped accepting the fighter in late March after discovering that Lockheed had failed to apply a corrosion-preventing primer to fastener holes on the aircraft, a weapons program that’s expected to cost more than $406 billion, making it the most expensive in the U.S.
The military office overseeing the program, along with U.S. armed forces and overseas allies, has set up a corrective-action plan to make necessary repairs while minimizing the effect on defense operations. Most modifications will be completed within two years, the Pentagon said in a statement.
“This remediation plan will ensure the warfighter continues to receive an affordable and quality weapons system from industry,” the agency said.
The Bethesda, Md.-based contractor continued normal production of the jet during the delivery suspension and said Monday that it’s on track to meet its goal of delivering 91 aircraft this year.
“We are focused on reducing cost, increasing efficiencies and ensuring we deliver the highest-quality weapons system to our men and women in uniform,” the company said in an e-mailed statement.
Operating and maintenance costs for the next six decades may top $1 trillion, according to the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress.
Lockheed Martin trumped rival defense contractor Boeing for the right to develop the aircraft in 2001, the first year of George W. Bush’s presidency. The stealthy, supersonic plane was designed to replace aging fighter jets such as the Air Force’s F-16s and the Navy’s F/A-18s while deftly handling both precision air-to-ground strikes and mid-air combat with other jets.
Earlier this month, the jet completed the system-design phase of its flight testing, increasing the total number of test runs since 2007 to 9,200, spanning more than 17,000 flight hours. CEO Marillyn Hewson described it as the “most comprehensive, complex and rigorous developmental flight test program in aviation history.”
Lockheed Martin climbed 2 percent to $317.71 in New York trading on Monday afternoon, paring its decline so far this year to 1 percent.
