I've long called the F-35 the joint strike turkey.
now the US Government Accountability Office has come out with damning reported on the program as it continues to fall behind with block 4 aircraft which are supposed to addressing current emerging threats won't be ready for6 years and will cost more to delivery less.
and the manufacturers are still making a pretty big chunk of change. under the contract they be receive incentive payments to get things moving along.
so as the program slip behinds they've received multiple millions in payments.
and even when they've been fined $5mil per aircraft that has been delivered but not combat capable (will be used for training and avoids Lockheed-Martin having nearly 100 aircraft at it's facilties) that's small percentage of the cost.