GAO Report Details F-35 Spare-Parts Tracking Gaps

The Government Accountability Office published a report on November 9, 2026, examining accountability for F-35 parts. The report describes an inventory of about 26 million parts across more than 700 contractor- and government-managed locations worldwide.

Key details

• The inventory supports the US military, seven partner nations, and 12 foreign military sales customers.
• The F-35 Joint Program Office tracks shared spares through the Enterprise Logistics Management System, which receives contractor data quarterly and does not directly interface with prime contractors’ property systems.
• As of March 2026, about 17,000 parts undergoing maintenance or repair, with a reported value of approximately $1.3 billion, were not recorded in the system. DoD officials estimated the value could reach $2.5 billion when missing costs are included.
• The Pentagon is targeting March 2027 for its first full inventory under a new audit effort.
• The Department of Defense accepted four new GAO recommendations; 26 of 34 earlier recommendations from GAO and the DoD Inspector General remained open.

A December 2025 contractor submission included serial numbers for 29% of reported parts.

Why it matters

The F-35 program’s parts pool supports aircraft operated by the US military, partner nations, and foreign military sales customers. The program’s Global Support Solution Reset targets a rise in the mission-capable rate from 44% in fiscal year 2025 to 80% by 2030, and GAO estimated that plan would require $13.7 billion in additional US funding through fiscal year 2031, including $7.3 billion for spares and repair materials.