Australia to require AUD14.6 billion to sustain F-35 fleet to 2053

The Australin DoD expects to spend AUD14.6 billion (USD10.87 billion) to sustain its Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fleet till 2053. (LAC Stewart Gould/Commonwealth of Australia/Department of Defence)

Australia expects to spend AUD14.6 billion (USD10.87 billion) to sustain its Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fleet till 2053, defence officials said.

Speaking to members of the Australian parliament's Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee on 6 April, Air Vice-Marshal Leon Phillips, head of the Aerospace Systems Division, said a range of factors could drive up costs beyond 2032.

“The most important point to make is that, particularly for these modern capabilities, there is really no such thing as a final operational capability once the project acquisition is delivered,” AVM Phillips told the committee. “There is a constant evolution of capabilities to deal with [operations].”

The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) said that AUD623 million has been spent so far on sustaining the fleet of 48 aircraft from 2015 to 30 June 2021. AVM Phillips added that the 2021–22 budget sustainment cost was AUD314 million.

Sustainment costs are set to rise as the air force continues to induct F-35 aircraft, officials said. In fiscal year (FY) 2020–21, the RAAF started with 22 aircraft.

“We have grown that to 37 aircraft. By the end of this financial year, we expect to be at 54 aircraft … As we increase our fleet, we have a commensurate increase in our sustainment costs for those aircraft,” AVM Phillips said.

He added that a budget of AUD1.613 billion was approved at the end of the 2021 financial year to sustain the fleet to 2024–25. Sustainment costs for FY 2022–23 are expected to be AUD328 million.