The F-35 joint strike fighter, already the most expensive U.S. weapons system ever, took hits last month from two government watchdogs, but it does not appear to have been thrown off course.
A Defense Department inspector general critique of the reliability of the complex aircraft’s engine, following a broader Government Accountability Office report anticipating continuing delays, has not discouraged lawmakers from pressing ahead with two-decade-old plans for the $400 billion fleet of planes for use by several services.