GAO: Pentagon shows minimal progress tracking $31 billion in F-35 parts

· Aviation · United States

The US Government Accountability Office has found that the Department of Defense has made "minimal progress" in accounting for F-35 parts worth approximately $31 billion, according to AeroTime. The finding concerns the Pentagon's ability to track spare parts and components across the F-35 program, the most expensive weapons program in the US. The GAO's assessment raises questions about inventory controls and cost oversight in a program involving thousands of aircraft and a global supplier base.

Why it matters：Oversight failures in spare-parts accounting on the world's largest fighter program affect suppliers, sustainment budgets and allied operators who depend on the same global spare-parts pool.

Key points

  • GAO assessed the Pentagon's accounting of F-35 parts as "minimal progress."
  • The parts are valued at approximately $31 billion.
  • The F-35 is the most expensive US weapons program.

Sources (original reporting)

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