US and Lockheed announce 10-year F-35 plan, not yet an order

The US defence department and Lockheed Martin announced a 10-year framework on Thursday covering at least 850 F-35 fighter jets for the United States. It sets out a long-term production plan, but it is not yet an aircraft order: Congress must authorise and fund the arrangement before the two sides can settle contract terms, prices and delivery schedules.

The framework also covers initial spare parts, modification kits and support for the fleet, as well as orders from international customers. Lockheed Martin says production would continue at 156 aircraft a year across the wider F-35 programme, not just for the US aircraft.

According to a defence department statement, Lockheed Martin has pledged to finance at least $7 billion of its own investment in the programme. The company says a longer planning horizon should help it expand capacity, improve efficiency and reduce costs. Those are expected benefits, not results achieved by the agreement.

The plan comes amid persistent problems with the aircraft’s availability. The US Government Accountability Office reported in June that F-35s held by US military units were fully capable of performing all their assigned missions for 25% of the time in fiscal year 2025, down from 38% in 2021. That is a measure of time, not a finding that only a quarter of the global fleet can fly. In a separate review published in 2025, the watchdog said the Block 4 upgrade was at least five years behind and more than $6 billion above its original estimates.

Descriptions of the framework as a record order run ahead of the contract: whether the proposed aircraft, investment and support arrangements deliver the promised savings and improvements remains to be seen.