Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning and F-22 'Raptor' : News & Discussion

www.airandspaceforces.com

F-35 Contracts Slip in Delay Unrelated to Radar Woes

Funding for the next two batches of F-35 fighters, originally expected to be finalized by the end of June, won’t be awarded until this summer.
www.airandspaceforces.com www.airandspaceforces.com
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A government official said that although nailing down a contract in late spring was the goal for several months, “as the teams work through the final phases of pricing and terms and conditions, it is now clear that additional time will be needed to complete the necessary DOD and [Lockheed Martin] reviews.” In the meantime, work is moving forward under the December award.

The contracting delay is “not related to radar,” the JPO said.

Lockheed has informed the Air Force that the schedule for adding a new APG-85 radar to the F-35 faces “risks,” and that the jet’s forward fuselage may be redesigned to accommodate current and future radars, Breaking Defense reported June 5. The APG-85 was supposed to be installed on F-35s slated for delivery this year as part of Lot 17.
"
 
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Herciv said:
www.airandspaceforces.com

F-35 Contracts Slip in Delay Unrelated to Radar Woes

Funding for the next two batches of F-35 fighters, originally expected to be finalized by the end of June, won’t be awarded until this summer.
www.airandspaceforces.com www.airandspaceforces.com
"
A government official said that although nailing down a contract in late spring was the goal for several months, “as the teams work through the final phases of pricing and terms and conditions, it is now clear that additional time will be needed to complete the necessary DOD and [Lockheed Martin] reviews.” In the meantime, work is moving forward under the December award.

The contracting delay is “not related to radar,” the JPO said.

Lockheed has informed the Air Force that the schedule for adding a new APG-85 radar to the F-35 faces “risks,” and that the jet’s forward fuselage may be redesigned to accommodate current and future radars, Breaking Defense reported June 5. The APG-85 was supposed to be installed on F-35s slated for delivery this year as part of Lot 17.
"
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Frankly reading about the F-35 program timelines makes me feel good about the LCA program & that's actually paying a compliment to the timelines of the LCA program , sweetie . Ja ? @Innominate
 
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Pentagon slashes in half its request for Air Force F-35s, Bloomberg News reports​

By Reuters
June 10, 202511:52 PM CDT | Updated 9 hours ago

Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) military exercises at about 100 miles south of Oahu, Hawaii

An F-35 jet lands on the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) military exercises about 100 miles south of Oahu, Hawaii, U.S. July 19, 2024. REUTERS/Marco Garcia/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights​

June 11 (Reuters) - The Pentagon is scaling back by half its request to Congress for the U.S. Air Force's Lockheed Martin (LMT.N), F-35 jets, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday.

A U.S. Defense Department procurement request document sent to Capitol Hill this week asked for 24 of the planes, down from 48 that were forecast last year, the report said.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Lockheed Martin and the Department of Defense did not respond to requests for comment outside regular business hours.

The Air Force now plans to seek $3.5 billion for the F-35 aircraft, and another $531 million for advance procurement of materials for it, the report said.

The Pentagon has also requested 12 of the Navy's carrier version of the F-35, lower than the 17 Congress approved for this fiscal year, while the Marines would also see a reduction of two from this year’s funding, the report added.

In May, Lockheed Martin's finance chief said the firm expects to be awarded a finalized contract on its F-35 jets, which have been beset by delays related to a technology upgrade.

The defense contractor delivered a total of 110 F-35 fighter jets to the United States and its allies in 2024. Lockheed's F-35 program accounts for around 30% of the company's revenue.

==============================================================================================================
Source: Reuters/Bloomberg
Reporting by Preetika Parashuraman and Kanjyik Ghosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane Venkatraman
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
 
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Ginvincible said:

Pentagon slashes in half its request for Air Force F-35s, Bloomberg News reports​

By Reuters
June 10, 202511:52 PM CDT | Updated 9 hours ago

Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) military exercises at about 100 miles south of Oahu, Hawaii

An F-35 jet lands on the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) military exercises about 100 miles south of Oahu, Hawaii, U.S. July 19, 2024. REUTERS/Marco Garcia/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights​

June 11 (Reuters) - The Pentagon is scaling back by half its request to Congress for the U.S. Air Force's Lockheed Martin (LMT.N), F-35 jets, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday.

A U.S. Defense Department procurement request document sent to Capitol Hill this week asked for 24 of the planes, down from 48 that were forecast last year, the report said.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Lockheed Martin and the Department of Defense did not respond to requests for comment outside regular business hours.

The Air Force now plans to seek $3.5 billion for the F-35 aircraft, and another $531 million for advance procurement of materials for it, the report said.

The Pentagon has also requested 12 of the Navy's carrier version of the F-35, lower than the 17 Congress approved for this fiscal year, while the Marines would also see a reduction of two from this year’s funding, the report added.

In May, Lockheed Martin's finance chief said the firm expects to be awarded a finalized contract on its F-35 jets, which have been beset by delays related to a technology upgrade.

The defense contractor delivered a total of 110 F-35 fighter jets to the United States and its allies in 2024. Lockheed's F-35 program accounts for around 30% of the company's revenue.

==============================================================================================================
Source: Reuters/Bloomberg
Reporting by Preetika Parashuraman and Kanjyik Ghosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane Venkatraman
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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I don't expect to see sweetie here for at least a month post which we can expect sweetie to weasel in with weasel logic for by that time some news from somewhere would emerge of the DoD / USAF focusing on NGAD or some other cheaper alternative.

Ja @Innominate
 
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@Picdelamirand-oil

F-35 production numbers for the USAF were revealed last year. 25 in 2026 and back to 45+ from 2027.

Sept 2024:
www.defensenews.com

US Air Force plans to bed down 25 F-35s in FY26, report says

The report also outlines the service’s procurement schedule to reach a fleet of nearly 1,800 of the aircraft by 2049.
www.defensenews.com www.defensenews.com
Additionally, the report describes a procurement plan for the F-35As, with an intention to buy 42 in both fiscal 2025 and 2026, 47 in fiscal 2027 and 2028 and then 48 per year through fiscal 2048. Then, in fiscal 2049, it plans to buy 34, bringing the total number of aircraft acquired since 2007 to 1,763.

The first sentence has a mistake, plus correcting for current news. 44 in 2025 instead of 42, 24 in 2026 instead of 25, and then 47 for 2 years and 48 for the life of the program. 47 and 48 could change too, but this is not new information.
 
randomradio said:
@Picdelamirand-oil

F-35 production numbers for the USAF were revealed last year. 25 in 2026 and back to 45+ from 2027.

Sept 2024:
www.defensenews.com

US Air Force plans to bed down 25 F-35s in FY26, report says

The report also outlines the service’s procurement schedule to reach a fleet of nearly 1,800 of the aircraft by 2049.
www.defensenews.com www.defensenews.com
Additionally, the report describes a procurement plan for the F-35As, with an intention to buy 42 in both fiscal 2025 and 2026, 47 in fiscal 2027 and 2028 and then 48 per year through fiscal 2048. Then, in fiscal 2049, it plans to buy 34, bringing the total number of aircraft acquired since 2007 to 1,763.

The first sentence has a mistake, plus correcting for current news. 44 in 2025 instead of 42, 24 in 2026 instead of 25, and then 47 for 2 years and 48 for the life of the program. 47 and 48 could change too, but this is not new information.
Click to expand...
For the plan to come to fruition, TR3 would have to work, which is a huuuuugggge uncertainty!
 
Not even one dollar more for the F-35 by the HASC. It will be 24 F-35 in FY2026 budget. Nice to see that the 85 millions cost is without F-135.

www.airandspaceforces.com

What Might the Future Hold for the F-35?

Fresh debate over the F-35s challenges and its potential in the coming months will shape its future role in the force.
www.airandspaceforces.com www.airandspaceforces.com

"The House’s $150 billion reconciliation package of defense add-ons contains $7.2 billion for cutting-edge tactical aviation accounts, including USAF’s new sixth-generation F-47 and its autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), and largest of all, $3.15 billion for additional F-15EX fighters. Notably absent: even a single penny for the F-35. "

"Overall procurement costs per jet are low, but costs per flying hour have remained stubbornly high across all variants. That’s led the Air Force and Navy to fly their F-35s much less—19 percent less for the Air Force and 45 percent less for the Navy—over the life of the program. They intend for pilots to make up for lost flying time in simulators."

"The last negotiated unit cost for the F-35A—the Air Force’s conventional takeoff and landing variant—was about $85 million per airframe. Pratt & Whitney’s F135 powerplant—which is purchased separately and arrives at Lockheed’s factory as government-furnished equipment—is believed to cost about $15 million per engine. The engine cost, which Pratt says is proprietary, is the sticking point. Industry sources said negotiations could drag into late summer or fall. "
 
House GOP appropriators pass defense spending bill defeating Dem measures on Air Force One, Ukraine
The committee voted 36-27 to send its funding proposal to the House floor after a marathon markup that lasted almost nine hours.
By Valerie Insinna
on June 12, 2025 at 6:08 PM

The committee’s proposal includes $13 billion for missile defense and space programs associated with the Golden Dome missile shield, $8.5 billion for 69 F-35 fighters — a major increase from the administration’s budget, which includes only 47 jets


Again, just part of the usual budget battle over the yearly defense budget. The final bill will not have any major cuts and may even see an increase!
breakingdefense.com

House GOP appropriators pass defense spending bill defeating Dem measures on Air Force One, Ukraine - Breaking Defense

The committee voted 36-27 to send its funding proposal to the House floor after a marathon markup that lasted almost nine hours.
breakingdefense.com breakingdefense.com
 
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Innominate said:
Again, just part of the usual budget battle over the yearly defense budget. The final bill will not have any major cuts and may even see an increase!
Click to expand...
It does give the Anti-F-35 mob, something to get all excited about for a little while
Yes it is the same every year. The defence force like to leave the shiny oblects off of their funding and make sure the boring stuff is covered, Knowing that congress will step in, Which they have done previously as well.
 
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Iran’s air defense failure sends shockwaves to Russia​

According to Russian-language military forums and unofficial commentary shared across pro-Kremlin channels, the Israeli operation has amplified existing doubts about Russia’s capacity to withstand a coordinated assault from a technologically advanced adversary such as NATO. As one commentator put it, “Everyone here understands this is exactly what would happen to Russia if any NATO country decided to act.”

Defense analysts in Moscow are reportedly acknowledging that Iranian systems—some modeled on or directly derived from Russian technologies—were unable to provide any sustained resistance even during the second day of Israeli airstrikes.

One recurring assessment circulating in Russian defense circles states, “Absolutely powerless air defense, when what we see in the crosshairs is all we’ve got.”

 
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Optimist said:

Iran’s air defense failure sends shockwaves to Russia​

According to Russian-language military forums and unofficial commentary shared across pro-Kremlin channels, the Israeli operation has amplified existing doubts about Russia’s capacity to withstand a coordinated assault from a technologically advanced adversary such as NATO. As one commentator put it, “Everyone here understands this is exactly what would happen to Russia if any NATO country decided to act.”

Defense analysts in Moscow are reportedly acknowledging that Iranian systems—some modeled on or directly derived from Russian technologies—were unable to provide any sustained resistance even during the second day of Israeli airstrikes.

One recurring assessment circulating in Russian defense circles states, “Absolutely powerless air defense, when what we see in the crosshairs is all we’ve got.”

Click to expand...
Comparing Iranian AD with Russian IADS? Really🤣
 
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Optimist said:
They have the S-300 and in January news, Russia was sending them the S-400
At least you didn't say they don't have an airforce
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S 300 PMU 2 to be exact. Russian S 300s are different from Iranians both in terms of quantity and quality.
This post is just trying to appease the western audience. For a proper article they should've analysed the Israeli strikes and what would be similar in case a NATO country tries to strike Russia. Pretty bad article without any analysis whatsoever.

Tbh, the scenario itself is very unlikely because no country involves themselves in someone else's war if there isn't anything to gain.
 
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Optimist said:
I think the Russians who commented, might know more than you, They have the S-300 and in January news, Russia was sending them the S-400, as well, they have their own stuff
At least you didn't say they don't have an airforce
Click to expand...
Iranians don't have the s-400. Most of their stuff AD is s-300 and patriot copies.
 
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