This is a hit piece on the Raptor.
ALL new aircraft go through growing pains. The data they quote for the maintenance issues go back to 2004. The first aircraft weren’t operational until December 2005.
Half the maintenance issues are related to the stealth coating problems.
Does any thinking person believe that a machine that pushes the technological edge would have fewer hours of maintenance at the start of it’s life?
Give it a year and then look at the cost curves. I’ll bet a buffalo nickle that the improvement will be substantial.
The benefits outweigh the liabilities. I hear a Jaguar is a maintenance nightmare also, but boy, when it drives, does it drive.