A congressionally mandated review of the Air Force’s fighter force obtained by Breaking Defense finds that as many as 1,558 combat-ready jets are needed to fulfill global obligations, requiring greater procurement of aircraft like the F-15EX and F-35.
The $24.3 billion deal covers 148 aircraft each in production lots 18 and 19, closing out negotiations that have stretched since 2023.
The network transport architecture for NGC2 could be a hybrid approach that combines high assurance communications with 5G, WiFi, and multi-orbit satellites.
The rising costs have led to a row between Switzerland and the US, as Bern faces a $610 million increase for its order of 36 F-35As, a defense official told Breaking Defense.
Jim Taiclet first announced what he then called a “Ferrari” version of the F-35 in April, just weeks after Lockheed lost out on the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance contract to Boeing.
The Swiss government says it is still committed to buying the F-35 stealth fighter, though Defense Minister Martin Pfister reportedly said that Bern may end up buying fewer of the jets due to a cost increase.
The carrier-capable F-35C crashed near Naval Air Station Lemoore in central California Wednesday evening, according to a US Navy spokesperson.
Knowing when to build on commercial systems and when to develop something new can be the difference between parity and information dominance.
Michael Williamson, president of Lockheed Martin International, said non-operators of the F-35 have inquired about building "facilities and repair parts so another F-35 can land at their air bases, be repaired, and fly out.”
Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Greg Masiello will now head the massive F-35 enterprise as outgoing program chief Air Force Lt. Gen. Mike Schmidt retires.
Additional F-15EXs are needed by Guard squadrons in Oregon, California and Louisiana, the unfunded requirements document states.
Although a single combat capability remains to be validated by the US government, “we believe we have reached that point” where an upgrade known as TR-3 can officially support combat capabilities for the Joint Strike Fighter, said Lockheed executive J.R. McDonald.
Reducing cognitive overload on warfighters while improving “time to trust” for autonomous systems is a matter of design.
A letter from Lockheed Martin's CEO to the Air Force, obtained by Breaking Defense, warns of "risks" to radar delivery schedule, raising questions about future lots.
“We're going to do an F-55,” President Donald Trump announced today in Doha. “That'll be two engines and a super upgrade on the F-35.”
Pratt & Whitney said in a statement that it has “contingency plans in place to maintain operations and meet our customer commitments” and has no “immediate” plans to resume negotiations with the union.
The service is expected to oversee a fly-off between contenders General Atomics and Anduril this summer.