US Department of Defense purchases 145 F-35s for US and foreign services

The US DoD has purchased 145 additional F-35s. (US Air Force)

The US Department of Defense (DoD) ordered 145 additional Lockheed Martin F-35s for USD11.7 billion, signing for Lot 18 of the aircraft's production, according to a 20 December announcement. Deliveries from the order are set to begin in 2026, the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO), which administers acquisitions for F-35 customers, told Janes on 23 December.

Of the 145 F-35s, 48 are to be F-35As for the US Air Force. The US Marine Corps is to receive 16 F-35Bs, which can take off and land vertically, along with five catapult-assisted but arrested recovery F-35Cs. The US Navy is allocated 14 F-35Cs. Export customers are allocated 62 F-35Cs – 15 F-35As and one F-35B for unspecified F-35 partner countries and 39 F-35As and seven F-35Bs for additional countries via the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) acquisition pathway. Included in the buy are the first F-35s for Canada, Germany, Singapore, and Switzerland, the JPO said.

All the aircraft will be equipped with Technical Refresh 3, which upgrades processing power substantially with an L3Harris core processor, a new memory system, and an open mission systems architecture. The refresh also includes a new cockpit display.