USAF expands fleet amid ongoing procurement challenges

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USAF expands fleet amid ongoing procurement challenges

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Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II | Wikipedia

By Sky Industry News

Jun 29, 2025

The United States Air Force remains the largest operator of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jet. As of 2023, it had 408 units in its inventory, with expectations that this number could reach nearly 500 by mid-2025. The Air Force plans to continue acquiring these jets into the next decade.

Despite facing criticism over costs and dog-fighting capabilities, the F-35 has been recognized for its effectiveness. Many U.S.-allied countries have purchased the jet, except a few like France and Sweden, which focus on their own programs.

"The Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II is taking its place as the backbone of the United States Air Force's tactical fighter jet fleet," according to reports. It is gradually replacing older models like the F-16 and F-15. While other variants exist for different branches of service, the Air Force plans to purchase a total of 1,763 F-35A units.

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The first production model was accepted by the USAF in 2011, achieving Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in August 2016. By 2024, it procured 48 units and requested an additional 42 for 2025; however, Congress approved only half that number.

At the end of 2024, FlightGlobal estimated around 385 active F-35As within the Air Force. However, Air and Space Forces Magazine reported in September 2023 that there were actually about 408 units in service at that time.

The program has not been without incidents; two or three crashes have occurred since its inception. The last recorded crash happened at Eielson AFB in January 2025.

Lockheed Martin faced challenges with deliveries due to issues with Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) upgrades but reached a compromise allowing deliveries to resume in March 2024. By June 2025, Lockheed claimed these issues were resolved: "Now Lockheed believes F-35s with TR-3 upgrade are combat-capable."

With TR-3 delays addressed, Lockheed aims to deliver between 170 and 190 fighters in total during 2025. These figures include new production units as well as those stored pending software upgrades.

Both the Marine Corps and Navy are also significant purchasers of various F-35 variants. The Marines plan to replace older aircraft models with both STOVL F-35B and carrier-based F-35C versions while adjusting procurement numbers from initial projections.

Meanwhile, discussions about future developments continue amid evolving military needs: "We're doing an upgrade...I'm going to call it an F-55," former President Trump announced regarding potential design changes for a twin-engine variant—an idea seen as more than just a simple upgrade given its complexity compared to current single-engine designs.