US admits F-35 failed to replace F-16 as planned, needs new fighter jet

The United States Air Force announced the need for a new multi-use fighter 
jet to replace its aging F-16 fleet, while stressing that it would not 
feature the same high-price tag and technological prowess of the F-35.

The announcement, made by Air Force Chief of Staff General Charles Brown 
came as a surprise to defence analysts, given that the F-35 was pegged as 
the modern fifth generation aircraft that would replace the F-16.

Instead, Air Force Chief Brown suggested they would develop a “fifth-
generation-minus” fighter jet.

Nearly twenty years ago, the USAF set out to develop a replacement to the 
F-16’s successor, but the program only continued to grow prohibitively 
expensive as more cutting edge technology was poured into it. When it grew 
too expensive, other nations were brought in as partners to offset the 
runaway costs.

In an ironic twist, the F-35 has become the kind of dilemma it was 
initially supposed to resolve. Now, a new fighter jet is needed to meet 
the needs of the US Air Force. 

Running the F-35 for 66 years is expected to cost $1.182 trillion, on top 
of its already hefty development cost of $397.8 billion. The F-35 costs 
slightly less than $100 million per plane. But cost is the least of its 
concerns.

Bugs and flaws

In spite of its advanced technology and cutting-edge capabilities, the 
latest stealth fighter suffers from structural flaws and slew of 
challenges.

Most recent among them is a structural engine flaw and shortage in its 
production.

The F-35’s engine problem is partly based in not being able to deliver 
them for maintenance as fast as needed, in addition to a problem with the 
heat coating on its rotor blades which shortens engine lifespan 
considerably.

Defense News described it as a “serious readiness problem”, suggesting 
that as soon as 2022, nearly 5 to 6 per ent of the F-35 fleet could be 
effectively grounded as it waits for engine replacements.

Another challenge is the plane’s software. Most modern fighter jets have 
between 1 to 2 million lines of code in their software. The F-35 averages 
8 million lines of code in its software, and it’s suffering from a bug 
problem.

To fix this, the US Department of Defense is asking three American 
universities to help figure it out.

The fighter jet also suffers from a slightly embarrassing touchscreen 
problem. After making the switch from hard flipped switches to touch 
screens, pilots report that unlike a physical switch that you’re confident 
has been activated, touch screens in the plane don’t work 20 percent of 
the time says one F-35 pilot. 

Aging fleet, modern enemies

Amid all these challenges, To justify his decision, Air Force Chief Brown 
compared the F-35 to a Ferrari. 

“You don’t drive your Ferrari to work every day, you only drive it on 
Sundays. This is our ‘high end’ fighter, we want to make sure we don’t use 
it all for the low-end fight,” he said in a press conference on February 
17.

In a nutshell, Brown wants to limit how often the F-35 is being used, as 
then develop a less advanced replacement.

The current fleet of F-16’s are old. Even the newest variants among them 
were bought in 2001. To replace the thousand F-16’s the USAF uses as a 
workhorse fighter jet will be a tall order. Ordering more F-16’s isn’t an 
option either, if only because they’re falling behind the technological 
curve. 

Russia is already fielding its considerably cheaper Sukhoi-57 5th 
generation fighter jet. While it does not boast the technological prowess 
of the F-35, there’s considerable doubt that the F-35 could stand up to 
the Su-57 in a one-on-one dogfight. 

This is mainly given the F-35 excels in fighting from a distance. China is 
also fielding it’s twin-seater J-20 fighter jet, which promises 
considerable offensive capabilities. 

In essence, the F-35 was designed to have ultimate technological 
superiority. But doing too much means compromises in design. 

To adapt to different demands, the F-35 has multiple, costly versions. 
Lockheed Martin provides a regular version suited to land operations, one 
specifically designed for aircraft carrier take-off, a smaller naval 
variant, not to mention a vertical take-off variant. 

But having so many versions of the F-35 leads to a much more complex 
design. Resolving issues in one variant, doesn’t mean they’re resolved in 
the rest. 

Unfortunately, there’s nothing to prevent the next fifth generation 
‘minus’ plane from encountering the same challenges that brought the F-35 
to its current predicament. 

More dangerously, developing a new jet could take decades. Two decades by 
the F-35’s benchmark. By then, the F-16’s will be nearly 60 years old. 

https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/us-admits-f-35-failed-to-replace-f-16-
as-planned-needs-new-fighter-jet-44483