I feel I can now weigh in a little more on these conversations, as my military retirement ceremony happened just over a month ago. My last job was in the USAF F-35 Integration Office, and I have over 9 years experience with the jet, both in the field and programmatically at a service level. The USAF IO represented our service to the program office, the other eight program partners and two other US service users. IO works directly for the CSAF.
Operationally, the jet is amazing and performs mostly as we need it to. The jet is more mature at this point in its development that any other current USAF fighter was at a similar point. Mach7, not sure where flight control logic problem info came from, but I know many currently qualified operators who express a different opinion. The FMS (Full Mission Simulator) isn’t up to snuff yet, however.
The current Achilles Heel for the program is sustainment, that “cradle to grave” support that kicks in after the shinny new jet arrives on your ramp. JSF logistics was over a decade behind the jet and still remains behind today. Typical Not Mission Capable for Supply rates (I.e. lack of parts holding a jet down) typically hover for the A-model fleet worldwide at twenty something percent. That mediocre to fair supply performance comes at great cost, and cost is the driver right now. And, cost to buy a jet is like the visible portion of an iceberg, and sustainment costs what’s below the water line.
Depending on which stats/propaganda you subscribe to, (I believe) that’s going to get worse before it gets better. I was a part of the USAF effort to put pressure on the program to rapidly improve affordable readiness. The reasons that led to this situation are many and go back to program inception assumptions, with the USGOV culpability at 51 percent or more, in my opinion. OEMs usually deliver exactly what they’re put on contract to deliver with very good reliability; poor contracts mean bad outcomes.
I have little doubt the program will improve, and rapidly. If they fall short, the US services Program of Record buys are at stake, and sustainment for that full fleet ends in a Big $T. So, you could say both prime OEMs are incentivized to improve.
And, for the record, I am not continuing with the F-35 program post military retirement, nor working for a JSF prime. Location was all important to my wife and I to be closer to family, and that meant finding a job in AZ instead of Fort Worth TX or anywhere else.
Currently I am on a five week RV trip before arriving in Az, so I am checking this infrequently at best.