A Pentagon watchdog has blamed defense giant Lockheed Martin Corp for poor maintenance of the US fleet of F-35s, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.
Known as the most sophisticated stealth fighter jet in the world, the F-35 US fleet could only fly for half of the expected time due to poor maintenance.
The report, based on the findings from the Defense Department's Office of the Inspector General, said the average availability rate of F-35s was 50%, partly because the Pentagon did not consistently hold Lockheed Martin accountable for poor performance related to F-35 sustainment.
The audit found that the Pentagon paid Lockheed Martin about $1.7 billion without any economic adjustment, even though the aircraft were unavailable to fly about half the time and failed to meet minimum military service requirements, the report said.
Lockheed Martin did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Lockheed Martin extends cooperation with Israel through 2029
Lockheed Martin and Israel’s Industrial Cooperation Authority (ICA) agreed to extend their partnership for another four years, the company said in a statement Wednesday.
In a ceremony attended by officials, including Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat and Head of ICA Yazeed Sheick-Yousif, as well as Lockheed Martin COO Frank St. John and Lockheed Martin Israel Chief Executive Tal Galor, the American defense and aerospace manufacturer extended its Umbrella Industrial Cooperation Agreement (UICA) through 2029.
A UICA, signed between the ICA and a foreign company, allows the company to sell goods more easily in Israel.
Lockheed Martin and Israel first signed cooperation agreements in 2005, and since then, the firm has invested over $4 billion in the Jewish State, according to the statement.
Leo Feierberg Better contributed to this report.