After nearly 20 years, the F-35 program moved into full-rate production after conducting its final simulated tests. At this milestone, DOD determined that the F-35 demonstrated an acceptable level of performance and reliability and could be manufactured faster.
However, contractors continue to deliver engines and aircraft late—a trend that has worsened in the last few years. The program also faces delays in updating the aircraft's software and has been slow to modernize the engine and other aircraft components.
We previously made recommendations to help the F-35 program address these challenges, but DOD has only implemented some of them.