Search

Curtailing U.S. Air Force F-35A Buy, Increasing Procurement Rate Among Debated Items

Curtailing U.S. Air Force F-35A Buy, Increasing Procurement Rate Among Debated Items
Four U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 356th Fighter Squadron at Eielson AFB, Alaska fly in formation over Andersen AFB, Guam as part of Cope North 21 on Feb. 6. The F-35A participated for the first time this year in Cope North, an annual multinational exercise designed to increase capabilities and improve interoperability among partner nations. This year’s exercise focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, large force employment and combat air forces training (U.S. Air Force Photo)

While the U.S. Air Force has fielded some 250 Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35As, at the current buy rate of 60 per year, it would take until 2048 for the service to field its planned number of 1,763. That number is in question, as the Air Force and the Pentagon Office of Cost Assessment and Program Assessment (CAPE) conduct a tactical aircraft (TACAIR) study on the service's future fighter needs--an undertaking announced last month by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen.…

Subscriber-only content. Please log in below.

Not a subscriber or registered user yet?

Please contact us at clientservices@accessintel.com or call us at 888-707-5814 (Monday – Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and Friday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET.), to start a free trial, get pricing information, order a reprint, or post an article link on your website.



Congress Updates

Budd And Shaheen Bill Would Authorize 329 F-15EX Fighters

Two members of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), have introduced the Airpower Acceleration Act, which would authorize multi-year procurements of […]


HASC’s Wittman Sees ‘Challenging’ Push For $350B In Reconciliation Funds, Wants Sustained Defense Increase

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.– Congress’ work to pass $350 billion in reconciliation funds to support the Trump administration’s push for a $1.5 trillion fiscal year 2027 defense topline is “going to […]


Army Secretary Says “We Need To Over-Invest in FLRAA To Get It Online As Quickly As Possible”

Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee’s defense panel (HAC-D), said on Thursday that the Army’s budget plan beginning in fiscal 2027 has more than $2 billion […]


Pentagon Fiscal 2027 Budget To Address Cannibalization Of Parts For F-35, Legislator Says

The Pentagon’s upcoming fiscal 2027 budget request will help reduce the cannibalization of parts for the F-35 fighter by Lockheed Martin [LMT], the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s […]