Procurement request documents obtained by Bloomberg show revised figures for F-35 deliveries in 2026, with the USAF receiving only 24 jets rather than 48.
Bloomberg reports that the Pentagon seeks to reduce incoming deliveries for all branches of the U.S. military operating the F-35 Lightning II. The U.S. Air Force will receive 24 F-35As, rather than the 48 provisionally approved by Congress last year. The U.S. Navy’s F-35C deliveries will be cut from 17 to 12, and the U.S. Marine Corps will see a reduction of two jets – though it’s not clear if this means fewer F-35Bs, F-35Cs, or a mix.
While this move would slow down deliveries, it should be noted that the request on its own would not necessarily mean the overall procurement planned numbers for the F-35 have been reduced. The cut still needs to be approved by Congress, who instead might deny the request and potentially even adjust the Department of Defense’s (DoD) budget to accommodate. It is expected that the DoD has made the request in order to prepare for cuts to its general budget proposed by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
New Hegseth memo we obtained on Fy 2026-Fydp 8% alignment lists 17 exemptions to reductions. The Pentagon’s biggest program, the F 35, is not one of them..
— Anthony Capaccio (@ACapaccio) February 19, 2025
The F-35 is the most modern fighter currently in the U.S. arsenal, but the DoD will be seeking to protect investment into future programs like the Boeing F-47 as well as associated collaborative combat aircraft. There is additionally the chance that by delaying their take-up of F-35 orders, the DoD will be able to extract additional performance from their airframes thanks to proposed future upgrades to the fifth generation fighter.
Lockheed Martin has proposed a major technology boost described as a ‘supercharged F-35’ which leverages work undertaken on the Next Generation Air Dominance program. CEO Jim Taiclet said he expected it would deliver 80% of the F-47’s capability at 50% of the cost. Whether this is related to the “F-55” referenced by President Donald Trump is unclear.
Trump: F-35, we’re doing an upgrade, a simple upgrade, but we’re also doing an F-55. I’m going to call it an F-55, and that’s going to be a substantial upgrade, but it’s going to be also with two engines because the F 35 has a single engine. I don’t like single engines. pic.twitter.com/CUG8VK5JX9
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 15, 2025
Notably, while the Boeing F-47 appears to now have flagship status among defense programs, making cuts difficult without a significant hit to the administration’s political capital, the Navy’s F/A-XX proposal to replace the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet has lingered much further into the background. The War Zone reported this week that the future of this development is still under review, and that many voices inside the Pentagon wish to prioritize development of the F-47 at the expense of F/A-XX.
The enormous cost of the F-35 program, as well as major delays to both its introduction and pending upgrades, has made it a key area of criticism from politicians and commentators across the political divide. Many figures close to the Trump administration, including President Trump himself, have a long history of bashing the jet.
Regardless of opinions on the aircraft, at this stage of the program the U.S. has little choice but to proceed – there are few alternatives for the DoD to take, and even when the F-47 arrives it will likely be cost prohibitive to procure on the scale of the planned 1,763 U.S. Air Force F-35 buy.
