F-35 AF-1 and AF-2 Ferry Flight to Edwards AFB showing 2 F-35s in flight and aerial refueling

Depending on what figures you use, the United States is either going to spend as much as $1 trillion — with a T — on the F-35 program over its life or something closer to $379 billion to design and build 2,443 of the fifth-generation fighter. That second number does not include the costs of operating and maintaining the aircraft, which typically comprise 70 percent or more of a weapon systems total cost, so the first number is likely more accurate. But how accurate? The numbers are very difficult to pin down so early in the program. For all the effort the Pentagon, the intelligence agencies and NASA put into it, cost estimating and judging life cycle costs is daunting work. Keep reading →