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Pentagon’s F-35 Expansion Plan Depends Heavily on a Separate Funding Fight
Key Takeaways
- The Pentagon wants 85 F-35s in fiscal 2027, up from 47 in fiscal 2026, but only 32 are funded in the base budget.
- The remaining 53 aircraft depend on a separate reconciliation package that has not yet been introduced.
- The request also includes funding to accelerate Block 4 upgrade kits and address readiness after the fleet’s roughly 50% mission-capable rate in fiscal 2024.
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DT Editorial Team··via defensenews.com
