• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
Air Force Loses Appetite For Shiny Fighter Jet With Huge Price Tag

Air Force Loses Appetite For Shiny Fighter Jet With Huge Price Tag

June 11, 2025
NEWT GINGRICH: Beyond The August Recess

NEWT GINGRICH: Beyond The August Recess

July 26, 2025
CBS Trades One 60 Minutes Liberal Insider For Another

CBS Trades One 60 Minutes Liberal Insider For Another

July 25, 2025
JENNY BETH MARTIN: No Amnesty: America’s Immigration System Must Respect The Rule Of Law

JENNY BETH MARTIN: No Amnesty: America’s Immigration System Must Respect The Rule Of Law

July 25, 2025
Dem Admits Party’s Epstein Files Attack Line Is ‘Bulls*it’

Dem Admits Party’s Epstein Files Attack Line Is ‘Bulls*it’

July 25, 2025
‘It’s Important We Send A Message’: Tom Homan Tells Stephen A. Smith Why Trump Admin Can’t Only Deport Criminals

‘It’s Important We Send A Message’: Tom Homan Tells Stephen A. Smith Why Trump Admin Can’t Only Deport Criminals

July 25, 2025
Arizona Woman Sentenced For Scheme Helping North Koreans Steal American Jobs

Arizona Woman Sentenced For Scheme Helping North Koreans Steal American Jobs

July 25, 2025
Corporate Media Mostly Sidestepping Russiagate Revelations For Torrent Of Trump-Epstein Coverage

Corporate Media Mostly Sidestepping Russiagate Revelations For Torrent Of Trump-Epstein Coverage

July 25, 2025
Carteles en México Usan Choques Con Camiones Para Atacar Autoridades

Carteles en México Usan Choques Con Camiones Para Atacar Autoridades

July 25, 2025
Cartel Gunmen in Mexico Use New Tactic to Hide Police Attacks — Fake Crashes

Cartel Gunmen in Mexico Use New Tactic to Hide Police Attacks — Fake Crashes

July 25, 2025
Trump Admin Returns Education Grants It Accused Of Funding Illegal Immigrants

Trump Admin Returns Education Grants It Accused Of Funding Illegal Immigrants

July 25, 2025
Democrats Using Time Off To Travel To Red States, Try Convincing People Trump’s Bad

Democrats Using Time Off To Travel To Red States, Try Convincing People Trump’s Bad

July 25, 2025
EXCLUSIVE: GOP Demands Answers On Migrant Children Rescued At Marijuana Farm

EXCLUSIVE: GOP Demands Answers On Migrant Children Rescued At Marijuana Farm

July 25, 2025
  • Donald Trump
  • State of the Union
  • Elon Musk
  • Tariffs
  • Congress
  • Faith
  • Immigration
Saturday, July 26, 2025
  • Login
IJR
  • Politics
  • US News
  • Commentary
  • World News
  • Faith
  • Latest Polls
No Result
View All Result
IJR
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Air Force Loses Appetite For Shiny Fighter Jet With Huge Price Tag

by Daily Caller News Foundation
June 11, 2025 at 5:12 pm
in News, Wire
242 10
0
Air Force Loses Appetite For Shiny Fighter Jet With Huge Price Tag
491
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Daily Caller News Foundation

The U.S. Air Force slashed its request to Congress for Lockheed Martin’s most advanced fighter jet in half, dealing a blow to the defense industry titan, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday.

The branch slashed its order of F-35 fighter jets from 48 units to only 24 units in their procurement request documents sent to Capitol Hill this week, according to Bloomberg. Critics have long lambasted the fighter jet as an example of the pitfalls of Pentagon contracting due to its extremely costly development and timeline delays, as the F-35 was projected in 2024 to cost the Pentagon $2 trillion over the coming decades while it spent more than 20 years being behind full production levels.

As of May 2024, there were around 630 F-35s in service across the U.S. military, with more being sold to other nations for their armed forces; at the time, the military had plans to acquire nearly 2,000 more F-35 jets.

The procurement request may undergo major changes in Congress, and Lockheed Martin has many allies on Capitol Hill, according to Bloomberg. In total, Lockheed Martin has spent more than $3.5 million in lobbying congress so far in 2025, according to Open Secrets data.

The F-35 is a fifth-generation fighter designed to be a multi-role aircraft that incorporated vertical take-off and landing and stealth capabilities in order to facilitate use by all branches of the armed forces, according to the contractor. Lockheed Martin delivered its first jet in 2006.

So far, 967 jets have been contracted, and Lockheed Martin has delivered 747 units, according to Bloomberg. However, many of the jets have suffered from persistent readiness issues attributable to maintenance problems.

Each F-35 cost roughly $80 million to produce, F-35 Joint Program Office spokesman Russ Goemaere told Breaking Defense in 2023. The Pentagon has long held a preoccupation with expensive projects such as the F-35, with experts previously telling the Daily Caller News Foundation that the philosophy could be in for a rude awakening given that modern battlefields are increasingly dominated by cheap, mass-produced drones.

President Donald Trump recently unveiled the F-47 in March, meant to be America’s foray into sixth-generation fighters. The contract for the new aircraft went to Boeing, another mainstay manufacturer of the defense industrial complex.

The Trump administration has made it a priority to reform the Department of Defense’s contracting system, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently issuing a slew of orders in May to review contracts at the Pentagon, including major reform to the DOD’s weapons testing and procurement office.

“The F-35 is the cornerstone of the battlespace for the U.S. military, enabling peace through strength in the 21st century,” a Lockheed Martin spokesperson told the DCNF. “It is combat proven, offers the most advanced capability and technology, and is the most affordable option to ensure the U.S. and allies remain ahead of emerging threats. We will continue to work closely with the Administration, Congress and our customers to deliver this game-changing capability as the budget process continues in the months ahead.”

The Air Force did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Tags: DCNFU.S. NewsUS
Share196Tweet123
Daily Caller News Foundation

Daily Caller News Foundation

Advertisements

Top Stories June 10th
Top Stories June 7th
Top Stories June 6th
Top Stories June 3rd
Top Stories May 30th
Top Stories May 29th
Top Stories May 24th
Top Stories May 23rd
Top Stories May 21st
Top Stories May 17th

Join Over 6M Subscribers

We’re organizing an online community to elevate trusted voices on all sides so that you can be fully informed.





IJR

    Copyright © 2024 IJR

Trusted Voices On All Sides

  • About Us
  • GDPR Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Editorial Standards & Corrections Policy
  • Subscribe to IJR

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Politics
  • US News
  • Commentary
  • World News
  • Faith
  • Latest Polls

    Copyright © 2024 IJR

Top Stories June 10th Top Stories June 7th Top Stories June 6th Top Stories June 3rd Top Stories May 30th Top Stories May 29th Top Stories May 24th Top Stories May 23rd Top Stories May 21st Top Stories May 17th