11-06-2025
Pentagon slashes in half its request for air force F-35s, Bloomberg News reports
The Pentagon is scaling back by half its request to Congress for the US Air Force's Lockheed Martin F-35 jets, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday.
A US defence department procurement request document sent to Capitol Hill this week asked for 24 of the aircraft, down from 48 forecast last year, the report said.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Lockheed Martin and the defence department did not respond to requests for comment outside normal business hours.
The air force now plans to seek $3.5bn (R62.09bn) for the F-35 aircraft and another $531m (R9.42bn) for advance procurement of materials for it, the report said.
The Pentagon has also requested 12 of the navy's carrier version of the F-35, lower than the 17 Congress approved for this fiscal year, while the marines would also see a reduction of two from this year's funding, the report added.
In May, Lockheed Martin's finance chief said the firm expects to be awarded a finalised contract on its F-35 jets, which have been beset by delays related to a technology upgrade.
The defence contractor delivered 110 F-35 fighter jets to the US and its allies in 2024. Lockheed's F-35 programme accounts for about 30% of the company's revenue.
