The $1 Trillion Fighter-Jet Fleet

Sticker Shock Hits Washington as Pentagon Estimates Lifetime Cost of F-35s

By NATHAN HODGE
WSJ

A new Pentagon forecast showing the total cost of owning and operating a fleet of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters topping $1 trillion over more than 50 years has caused a case of sticker shock in Washington.

And that price tag doesn't even include the $385 billion the Defense Department will spend to purchase 2,500 of the stealthy planes through 2035.

During a Senate hearing this month, Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) called the $1 trillion figure "jaw-dropping," particularly when compared with the costs of operating other aircraft.

"I appreciate this estimate is still early and subject to change, but we need to know that the program is going to bring that number down," he said.

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