Maturity cannot remove the F-35's maintenance burden

Can a mature platform improve from roughly two operational units per one in maintenance to four or five to one?

Simple systems can, but the F-35's coating, engine, electronics, airframe, and software keep its maintenance demands high.

Simple and stable systems can improve substantially with maturity. The F-35 remains constrained by its airframe, low-observable coating, engine, electronics, and continuing software updates. Each subsystem creates inspections and specialist work that operational experience cannot simply remove. A veteran design may become easier to support, while a complex platform with interdependent systems can remain labour-intensive throughout its service life.