U.S. Army Cuts FY2026 F-35 Fighter Jet Purchases Signals Shift Toward Sustainment.

The U.S. Department of Defense plans to procure just 47 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in Fiscal Year 2026, marking a sharp decline from recent annual buy rates. The move highlights a strategic shift toward readiness, sustainment, and future air dominance programs over continued high-volume fifth-generation production.

The Pentagon’s Fiscal Year 2026 acquisition budget, released in July 2025, signals a notable inflection point for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, long the backbone of U.S. and allied tactical aviation. According to budget documents and defense officials, the Department of Defense is deliberately slowing annual procurement while channeling more resources into sustainment infrastructure, capability upgrades, and integration efforts designed to keep the existing fleet combat-ready as attention shifts toward next-generation air combat systems.
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The F-35A Lightning II, fielded by the U.S. Air Force, is a conventional takeoff and landing variant with stealth shaping, internal weapon bays, and a top speed of Mach 1.6 (Picture source: US DoD)

For FY2026, the Pentagon plans to acquire 47 F-35 aircraft, significantly down from 74 units in FY2025 and 86 in FY2024. The procurement breakdown includes 24 F-35A CTOL variants for the U.S. Air Force, 11 F-35B STOVL variants for the U.S. Marine Corps, and 12 F-35C CV variants for the Navy and Marine Corps, split between eight and four units, respectively. This reduction underscores fiscal constraints, industrial base recalibration, and a strategic pivot toward fifth-generation fleet optimization and future air dominance platforms.

Despite the lower aircraft buy, the Pentagon is maintaining a strong commitment to the Continuous Capability Development and Delivery (C2D2) effort with more than $2.2 billion in RDT&E funding. This initiative supports the integration of the Block 4 modernization suite, enhanced mission systems, advanced sensor fusion, new weapons interfaces, and improved electronic warfare capabilities. It also incorporates critical software and hardware refreshes under the TR-3 architecture, now a top priority following delays that have impacted production deliveries in 2024 and 2025.

Procurement funding for FY2026 reaches approximately $10.9 billion, with an additional $1 billion in discretionary allocations designated for depot maintenance acceleration, supply chain resilience, and site stand-up infrastructure. These funds aim to reduce depot repair cycle times, improve aircraft availability, and reinforce the joint force’s ability to deploy combat-ready F-35s from forward bases, carriers, and amphibious platforms.

The three F-35 variants each support distinct operational doctrines, tailored to the mission profiles of their respective services:

The F-35A Lightning II, fielded by the U.S. Air Force, is a conventional takeoff and landing variant with stealth shaping, internal weapon bays, and a top speed of Mach 1.6. It carries a combat radius of 1,100 km and supports precision strike, air dominance, and nuclear delivery missions through integration of the B61-12 gravity bomb. The F-35A is the most widely produced variant and forms the backbone of the U.S. Air Force’s tactical air fleet. Full specs

The F-35B STOVL variant, operated by the U.S. Marine Corps, is optimized for expeditionary warfare with short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities enabled by a unique lift fan and swiveling exhaust nozzle. It can deploy from amphibious assault ships or unprepared forward strips, offering unprecedented operational agility. Though slightly more limited in range (865 km combat radius), its flexibility has become a cornerstone of Marine Corps aviation.

The F-35C carrier variant, with its larger wingspan, reinforced airframe, and tailhook assembly, supports catapult-assisted takeoff and arrested landings aboard aircraft carriers. It boasts the longest range among F-35 variants, exceeding 1,200 km, and serves as the Navy’s only stealth fighter platform capable of long-range precision strike and air superiority in heavily contested maritime environments.

Prime contractors for the F-35 program remain Lockheed Martin (Fort Worth, Texas) for the airframe and Pratt & Whitney (Hartford, Connecticut) for the F135 propulsion system. Both are engaged in urgent efforts to stabilize production schedules disrupted by TR-3 integration and address congressional concerns over cost growth and readiness shortfalls. The Pentagon has also expanded funding for organic depot maintenance capabilities, reducing reliance on contractor logistics and enhancing the services’ ability to sustain high operational tempo in both peacetime and conflict scenarios.

At the strategic level, the FY2026 funding profile positions the F-35 program at the intersection of current readiness and future deterrence. With the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) system advancing toward early fielding in the 2030s, the F-35 remains the critical fifth-generation enabler for multi-domain operations. Pentagon officials continue to affirm that the aircraft will anchor U.S. airpower well into the 2040s, even as the focus shifts from quantity to mission adaptability, survivability, and interoperability with allied forces.

However, the sharp drop in procurement has triggered concern on Capitol Hill, with lawmakers warning of potential consequences for the defense industrial base and urging reassessment of service-level requirements. Congressional deliberations in early 2026 are expected to influence the final F-35 count in the appropriations cycle.

With more than 1,000 F-35s delivered worldwide and increasing demand from NATO and Indo-Pacific allies, the aircraft remains central to global coalition airpower. But the FY2026 budget signals that the program’s next phase will be defined not by production peaks, but by how effectively the U.S. can adapt, upgrade, and sustain its most advanced fighter in a rapidly evolving threat landscape.