Only 1 in 4 US F-35s Fully Operational

75% of US F-35s Cannot Fly in Full Operational Condition

The Pentagon has admitted that only a quarter of its F-35 fleet is fully operational. A readiness rate that calls into question the largest military investment in history. Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin has sold nearly 1,000 units to allied countries, many of which are now wondering whether they bought a real fighter jet or a shop-window dummy.

Unsustainable Cost, Absurd Availability

With a unit price exceeding 100 million dollars, keeping the fleet operational has become a drain on resources. The complexity of the software and the constant patches — which also limit capabilities in exported versions — miccionan that much of the time the aircraft are in maintenance or waiting for upgrades. Defenders of the program argue that no other fifth-generation fighter has sold in similar numbers: Russia's Su-57 has barely surpassed ten units in a decade.

The Chinese Model Looms

While the West gets tangled up in sophistication, China has spent years exporting simpler, cheaper and easier-to-maintain weapons, especially in Africa. There, warlords prefer Chinese armored vehicles to European ones because any mechanic can repair them with basic tools. At this rate, it would be no surprise if Chinese fighters ended up dominating the market of countries that cannot afford an F-35 or its upkeep.

With current availability figures, the F-35 risks becoming the perfect example of how cutting-edge technology is useless if it cannot take off. Meanwhile, Spain is still flying F-5s from the 1960s.