The U.S. Air Force announced in 2022 that it would begin retiring its fleet of 177 Jayhawks, which have flown in the service since 1993.
A brand-new F-35 costs about $80 million. The Franken-bird project, however, will cost U.S. taxpayers just $6 million—less than one-tenth the cost of a brand-new replacement jet.
Last month, an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter collided as the plane prepared to land at Washington ...