Reference News, July 25 report - According to the Russian Sputnik news agency, on July 25, the U.S. Air Force will not purchase F-35 aircraft in the originally planned quantity unless Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer, makes progress in upgrading the military aircraft.
The media cited the "Defense One" website's report, which stated that the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, David Allvin, said: "Because our available financial resources are limited, we need to ensure that the F-35 aircraft we procure can deal with major threats. Therefore, some delays related to the fourth upgrade project of the F-35 and TR-3 have affected the Department of Defense's decision."
The report pointed out that the delay in implementing the fourth upgrade configuration of the F-35 fighter and the overall reassessment of funds by the Pentagon led the U.S. Air Force to include only 20 F-35 aircraft in its 2026 budget draft, a number less than half of the 44 aircraft purchased in 2025.
In January this year, the "Defense One" website reported that the supply of fully upgraded F-35 aircraft was again postponed. Last year, Lockheed Martin had hoped to complete the development of TR-3 by spring 2025, but the specific delivery date for the upgraded F-35 has not been announced to date.
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