---
title: "US Military’s Trillion-Dollar F-35 Fighter Jet Is Almost Unflyable"
description: "A Defense News investigation has revealed many problems with the military's in-development F-35 fighter jet that had previously gone unreported."
date: "2019-06-13"
modified: "2019-06-13"
authors:
  - name: "Kristin Houser"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/kristin"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/us-militarys-f-35-fighter-jet-unflyable"
categories:
  - "Military"
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "f-35"
  - "fighter jet"
  - "military"
  - "the digest"
---

# US Military’s Trillion-Dollar F-35 Fighter Jet Is Almost Unflyable

![A Defense News investigation has revealed many problems with the military's in-development F-35 fighter jet that had previously gone unreported.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/us-militarys-f-35-fighter-jet-unflyable.png>)
*\<em\>Image: U.S. Air Force/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Expensive Failure

The F-35 is supposed to play a major role in the future of the U.S. military — the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps each plan to replace existing aircraft with variations of the in-development fighter jet.

But problems have plagued the F-35 program for [several years](<http://interactive.aviationtoday.com/avionicsmagazine/august-september-2018/f-35-is-the-trillion-dollar-fighter-finally-worth-it/>). And now, a *Defense News* [investigation](<https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/06/12/the-pentagon-is-battling-the-clock-to-fix-serious-unreported-f-35-problems/>) has revealed several previously unreported [problems](<https://www.defensenews.com/smr/hidden-troubles-f35/>) with the jet — meaning the [trillion-dollar program](<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-04-04/is-the-f-35-a-trillion-dollar-mistake>) may be in even worse shape than the public knew.

## Problems Mount

Documents obtained by *Defense News* provide details on 13 of the F-35's most serious flaws, which include spikes in cabin pressure that cause pilots to experience severe ear and sinus pain.

Pilots of certain versions of the F-35 also can't fully control the aircraft’s pitch, roll, and yaw after completing certain maneuvers — and in some conditions, the aircraft's night vision camera displays green horizontal lines that make it difficult for pilots to see the horizon.

## No Worries

As alarming as these issues sound, Greg Ulmer, Lockheed Martin’s VP for the F-35 program, seemed unfazed.

"These issues are important to address, and each is well understood, resolved, or on a path to resolution," he [told *Defense News*](<https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/06/12/the-pentagon-is-battling-the-clock-to-fix-serious-unreported-f-35-problems/>). "We’ve worked collaboratively with our customers, and we are fully confident in the F-35’s performance and the solutions in place to address each of the items identified."

**READ MORE:** [The Pentagon is battling the clock to fix serious, unreported F-35 problems](<https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/06/12/the-pentagon-is-battling-the-clock-to-fix-serious-unreported-f-35-problems/>) \[*Defense News*\]

**More on F-35s:** *[The Military Wants to Use F-35s to Shoot Down Nuclear Missiles](<https://futurism.com/military-f35-nuclear-missiles>)*

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinjhouser>)