The F-35 Stealth Fighter Is Starting to ‘Circle the Drain’

Key Points – The Pentagon is proposing significant cuts to the F-35 program in its fiscal year 2026 budget to increase investment in the Air Force’s next-generation F-47 NGAD fighter.

-The funding request for the F-35 has been slashed by 50%, from 44 to 24 jets. In contrast, the F-47 program is slated to receive $3.5 billion, and its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drone wingmen an additional $789 million.

An F-35 Lightning II assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing flies over Barry M. Goldwater Range, Arizona, Jan. 19, 2024. The Barry M. Goldwater range, south of Phoenix, Arizona, is host to a number of air-to-ground bombing ranges which are utilized for training by various DOD branches. The F-35 is the U.S. Air Force’s latest fifth-generation fighter and provides next-generation stealth with enhanced situational awareness. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Elias Carrero)

-The Navy’s F/A-XX 6th-generation fighter program also faces a $74 million cut. This move, championed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, prioritizes future platforms over current ones but is expected to face resistance from Congress.

Cuts to F-35 Program to Prop Up New F-47 Next-Gen Fighter

The U.S. Department of Defense is in penny-pinching mode when it comes to spending recommendations for its fleet of next-generation fighters. The F-35 program will be forced to endure spending cuts to enable more investment into the Air Force’s F-47 NGAD fighter jet.

The DOD announced its new spending priorities in a proposal that was met with ho-hum fanfare. Usually, Pentagon spending plans are filled with pomp and circumstance.

This one was so under the radar that some defense media outlets did not catch the significance of the F-35 cuts.

Bad News for the F-35

Lockheed Martin, the producer of the F-35, is surely disappointed.

The defense behemoth has substantial interest and many orders from foreign partners, but the U.S. military is its primary customer.

There is also another reconciliation package document that the news source Defense One perused. Since the Pentagon has been so late with its budget proposal for next year, the House Appropriations Committee has already begun its work on the military spending process. This may have spurred the Trump administration into action to publicize its budget priorities, and the Lightning II is taking a hit.

(July 6, 2025) A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II aircraft assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 242, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, takes off from the flight deck of the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) while conducting flight operations in the Coral Sea, July 6. America, lead ship of the America Amphibious Ready Group, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Sam McNeely)

A F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 134th Fighter Squadron of the Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing takes off for a training mission during January drill from the Vermont Air National Guard Base, South Burlington, Vermont, Jan. 6, 2022. The pilots fly regularly to hone their skills and maintain the U.S. Air Force and Major Command requirements and proficiencies. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Jana Somero)

Now only 24 F-35s will be purchased next fiscal year, and that’s a 50 percent cut from last year. In FY25, the Pentagon bought 44 Joint Strike Fighters. This is a palpable decrease in F-35 strength that is coming from SECDEF Pete Hegseth. The Pentagon leader’s background is serving as a U.S. Army infantry officer, and warplanes are not his forte, so this could partially explain his lack of enthusiasm for the F-35 program.

B-21 Bomber Receives a Jolt

However, if the spending proposal is passed into legislation as it is currently written, the B-21 Raider program could receive $21 billion for production and another $862 million for “advanced procurement” of the stealth bomber.

F-47 Makes Out Like a Bandit

The big winner when it comes to next-generation flight is President Donald Trump’s baby – the F-47 NGAD. This is a program that was in question when Trump was inaugurated. The prior administration placed it on a review pause because of its grandiose expense – $300 million per unit – and its design questions.

Now the F-47 could get “$2.6 billion in the base budget, plus $900 million in reconciliation, for a total of $3.5 billion,” according to Defense One.

A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II pilot assigned to the 421st Fisgter Squadron, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, receives fuel from a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft assigned to the 506th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, over the Pacific Ocean, while conducting Agile Combat Employment (ACE) rehearsals, June 28, 2022. ACE shifts operations from centralized physical infrastructures to a network of smaller, dispersed locations that can complicate adversary planning and provide more options for joint force commanders. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Nicholas Priest)

Another boost to the F-47 program is the possibility of it serving as a “drone quarterback” that could lead a flight of armed drones known as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). The CCA program will get a head start with a line item of $789 million. This portends a great future for the CCA, which will give the F-47 much more capability to win dogfights and bombard the enemy from the sky.

F/A-XX Gets a Haircut

Damaging to the Navy’s hopes for its own 6th generation fighter, the F/A-XX program will take a hit. It will be cut down $74 million from $454 million it was granted in 2025.

The Navy will likely grumble about this proposal to cut the F/A-XX, as the sea branch would like another stealth fighter besides the F-35C. If the Lightning II program is getting less money, the Navy may be holding the short end of the stick. Plus, it is time to begin replacing the non-stealth F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet. And to add insult to injury, the Air Force is getting more funding for its highly anticipated F-47. The Navy’s carriers need all the stealth jets they can get to match the Chinese in the Indo-Pacific.

It may be time for the F-47 and F/A-XX programs to merge in some fashion or at least share engines and other components. The stealth design and coatings could be similar, cockpits could look alike, and the overall shape of the two airplanes could share characteristics. This would save money.

The F-47 will need ample investment, but it is too bad this means fewer F-35s. Congress may go to bat for the Lightning II and beef up the budget request for all fighter programs due to the threats from Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.

F-35I Has Started Like a Winner

Israel’s F-35I Adir had a stunning mission last fall when it conducted a “bloody nose” attack against Iran knocking out many air defense positions and other military targets.

No F-35Is were lost and this shows that the Lightning II can sneak into countries and deliver the pain to the enemy anytime, anywhere. There could be another Israeli attack – this time on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure – and the F-35I will be a leading player in this contingency.

Capt. Andrew “Dojo” Olson, F-35 Demonstration Team commander and pilot performs a dedication pass in an F-35A Lightning II during the 2019 Wings Over Wayne Airshow April 27, 2019, at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. The WOW Airshow marks the third public performance of the F-35 Demo Team’s new aerial demonstration during 2019 airshow season.

Members of Congress on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees are likely to remind the DOD that the F-35 has previous combat performance that should not be ignored, and they may resist the Lightning II cuts. Plus, the jury is still out on the F-47.

The fledgling program is trying to cross the acquisition Valley of Death to go beyond research and development to serial production. To do that, it will need all the dollars possible, and that funding must come from the F-35 and F/A-XX. This is a difficult conundrum for policymakers.

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We’ll keep an eye on Congress as it ponders the next fiscal year’s National Defense Authorization Act. Legislators may not agree with the Trump national security team, and Hegseth may have to appear in front of lawmakers to explain his plan for the next-generation fighters and cuts to the F-35 program. The stakes are high on this budget proposal as China now has two carrier strike groups in the water at the same time. That means more U.S. stealth airplanes are needed fast.

About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood

Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.

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