F-35 fleet now at 894 aircraft after 141 deliveries in 2022

ARLINGTON, Va., December 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The F-35 Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin have signed the contract to produce and deliver up to 398 F-35s 30 billion dollarsincluding US, international partner and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) aircraft in Lots 15 and 16, with the option for Lot 17.

“The F-35 offers our warfighters and task force commanders unmatched capabilities,” said the Air Force Lieutenant General. Mike Schmidt, Program Manager, F-35 Joint Program Office. “This contract strikes the right balance between what is best for US taxpayers, military services, allies and our foreign military customers. The F-35 is the world’s leading 5th Generation Multi-Mission Weapons System and the modernized capabilities of Block 4 These new aircraft will not only increase the capabilities but also increase interoperability with our allies and partners across land, sea, air and cyber domains strengthen.

The agreement covers 145 aircraft for lot 15, 127 for lot 16 and up to 126 for the contract option for lot 17, including the first F-35 aircraft for Belgium, Finland and Poland.

Lot 15-17 aircraft will be the first to include Technical Refresh-3 (TR-3), the modernized hardware needed for Block 4 performance. TR-3 includes a new integrated core processor with greater processing power, a panoramic cockpit display and an improved storage unit.

These aircraft will join the growing global fleet, which currently totals 894 aircraft after 141 deliveries this year. The F-35 team was on track to meet the 148 aircraft commitment as planned; Due to a temporary pause in flight operations, however, the necessary acceptance flight tests could not be carried out.

The signed contract concludes a year in which the F-35 delivers battle-hardened air forces around the world and continued international growth. This year, Finland, Germany and Switzerland Signed Offer and Acceptance Letters (LOAs)…