Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, chief of the F-35 joint program office, has said the Air Force, Marine Corps and the Navy have decided to extend the service life of the Joint Strike Fighter fleet from 2064 to 2070, Defense News reported Friday.
Lara Seligman writes Bogdan told reporters Thursday that the Defense Department‘s 2015 Selected Acquisition Report indicates a $45 billion increase in operating and support costs as a result of the six-year extension to the program’s operational life.
The service branches also added 1.6 million flight hours to the F-35 program, according to the report.
DoD’s current report reflects a $12.1 billion decrease in F-35 procurement costs and a $6.4 billion drop in costs of Pratt & Whitney-built F135 engines compared to the 2014 SAR.
“We had real decreases in real costs this year,†Bogdan said.
“For a program that has had a tragic past that is not a bad report card from ‘14 to ‘15.â€
