The Hidden Troubles of the F-35

The number of major F-35 flaws is shrinking, but the Pentagon is keeping details of the problems under wraps

The F-35 program currently has 857 deficiencies, but only seven are considered "critical."

The inside story of two supersonic flights that changed how America operates the F-35

Day-to-day restrictions on supersonic flight won't stop pilots from pushing the F-35 to the limits in combat, an F-35 test pilot tells Defense News.

The Pentagon will have to live with limits on F-35’s supersonic flights

The Navy's and Marine Corps' versions of the F-35 will have restrictions on how long they can fly at supersonic speeds because of a risk of damage to the tail section.

Five F-35 issues have been downgraded, but they remain unsolved

Five of the 13 major technical issues first revealed by Defense News have been downgraded in the last year.

The Pentagon has cut the number of serious F-35 technical flaws in half

The Pentagon is making progress resolving F-35 glitches, but new issues continue to crop up.

VIDEOS

Here are the problems faced by the F-35, and how some can be fixed

Documents provided to Defense News reveal issues facing the F-35 fighter jet as it nears a major milestone. Find out what they are and if they'll be fixed.

Five F-35 issues have been downgraded, but they remain unsolved

Five of the 13 major technical issues first revealed by Defense News have been downgraded in the last year.

By Aaron Mehta, Valerie Insinna and David B. Larter

The Pentagon has cut the number of serious F-35 technical flaws in half

The Pentagon is making progress resolving F-35 glitches, but new issues continue to crop up.

By Valerie Insinna

The Pentagon is battling the clock to fix serious, unreported F-35 problems

Defense News exclusively obtained documents detailing the F-35 jet's most serious deficiencies.

By Valerie Insinna

Supersonic speeds could cause big problems for the F-35′s stealth coating

Supersonic flight at the edge of the F-35 jet's flight envelope could cause structural damage or degrade its stealth coating, warn documents exclusively obtained by Defense News.

By Valerie Insinna and David B. Larter

Two F-35 partners threatened to quit the program. Here’s why they didn’t.

How serious were the problems? Serious enough that a couple countries threatened to pull out of the program, according to U.S. Defense Department documents.

By Valerie Insinna

FAQ: Your guide to understanding how the military rates F-35 technical shortfalls

Confused about what it means for the F-35 to have a deficiency? We have your primer here.

By Valerie Insinna

A fix is coming for a problem that left two F-35 pilots in ‘excruciating’ pain

Oxygen deprivation isn't the only issue known to cause physiological episodes among F-35 pilots.

By Valerie Insinna

When the F-35 blows a tire, it can set off a chain reaction of potential failures

The problem has been fixed in the carrier variant, but why aren't the "A" and "B" models getting the same correction?

By Valerie Insinna

When US Navy and Marine F-35 pilots most need performance, the aircraft becomes erratic

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps’ F-35s become unpredictable to handle when executing the kind of extreme maneuvers a pilot would use in a dogfight or while avoiding a missile.

By David B. Larter

The Marine Corps’ ‘No. 1 priority’ for the F-35 involves a rough landing in hot environments

When it's a hot one, the F-35B might struggle to land safely. And that could be bad news for industry.

By Aaron Mehta

The F-35 has to keep landing in cold weather. Here’s the plan to fix it.

The F-35 battery is getting too cold to operate in Alaska — or it at least thinks it is.

By Aaron Mehta

Inventory management failures are grounding F-35 jets

The F-35 relies on a key piece of software for maintenance, but that system isn't working the way it should.

By Aaron Mehta

Amid ‘green glow’ concerns, another issue has emerged for pilots flying the F-35 at night

During low-light conditions, the F-35's night vision camera display starts showing wonky horizontal lines across the screen that obstruct the pilot's view of the horizon.

By David B. Larter

The US Navy is seeking upgrades for the F-35 radar’s sea-search mode

Giving the Navy what it wants will be a matter of boosting computing power and upgrading software. So where would that come from?

By David B. Larter and Valerie Insinna

No more stories

The F-35 program currently has 857 deficiencies, but only seven are considered "critical."

Day-to-day restrictions on supersonic flight won't stop pilots from pushing the F-35 to the limits in combat, an F-35 test pilot tells Defense News.

The Navy's and Marine Corps' versions of the F-35 will have restrictions on how long they can fly at supersonic speeds because of a risk of damage to the tail section.

Five of the 13 major technical issues first revealed by Defense News have been downgraded in the last year.

The Pentagon is making progress resolving F-35 glitches, but new issues continue to crop up.

VIDEOS

Documents provided to Defense News reveal issues facing the F-35 fighter jet as it nears a major milestone. Find out what they are and if they'll be fixed.

More Stories

Five of the 13 major technical issues first revealed by Defense News have been downgraded in the last year.

The Pentagon is making progress resolving F-35 glitches, but new issues continue to crop up.

Defense News exclusively obtained documents detailing the F-35 jet's most serious deficiencies.

Supersonic flight at the edge of the F-35 jet's flight envelope could cause structural damage or degrade its stealth coating, warn documents exclusively obtained by Defense News.

How serious were the problems? Serious enough that a couple countries threatened to pull out of the program, according to U.S. Defense Department documents.

Confused about what it means for the F-35 to have a deficiency? We have your primer here.

Oxygen deprivation isn't the only issue known to cause physiological episodes among F-35 pilots.

The problem has been fixed in the carrier variant, but why aren't the "A" and "B" models getting the same correction?

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps’ F-35s become unpredictable to handle when executing the kind of extreme maneuvers a pilot would use in a dogfight or while avoiding a missile.

When it's a hot one, the F-35B might struggle to land safely. And that could be bad news for industry.

The F-35 battery is getting too cold to operate in Alaska — or it at least thinks it is.

The F-35 relies on a key piece of software for maintenance, but that system isn't working the way it should.

During low-light conditions, the F-35's night vision camera display starts showing wonky horizontal lines across the screen that obstruct the pilot's view of the horizon.

Giving the Navy what it wants will be a matter of boosting computing power and upgrading software. So where would that come from?

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