During a April 12 hearing, lawmakers hammered military officials over what they will do to address a wave of rising aviation mishaps documented by Military Times.
The effort could rack up a price tag of up to $10.8 billion for development and $5.4 billion for procurement of upgrades to the F-35 between fiscal years 2018 through 2024.
The Navy claims it is making progress in the battle against oxygen loss and other physiological episodes that threaten pilots, but critics say their effort has disappointed.