Pentagon’s No.1 weapons supplier Lockheed Martin Corp said on Monday that it has reached 700 F-35 stealth fighter jet deliveries.
“The 700th F-35 has been delivered — a milestone that represents the critical growth of the most advanced node in the 21st Century Warfare architecture to deter aggression and win the high-end fight,” the company said on Twitter.
Furthermore, Lockheed Martin is scheduled to deliver 133-139 aircraft this year, 151-153 aircraft in 2022 and anticipates delivering 156 aircraft beginning in 2023 and for the foreseeable future.
As Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall noted last week, “we need to move toward things that are more relevant to the fights we have to deter and, if necessary, win.” The F-35 is both the cornerstone of the fleet and a strategic deterrent.
With the commitment of 14 nations and counting, the U.S. and its allies are powering partnerships, security and economic growth through the F-35 program. By leveraging collective investments and economies of scale, the global F-35 team lowers costs across the program.
“The F-35 remains a premier air system of choice for three of the armed forces, seven international partners and six foreign military sales customers. It routinely demonstrates high-end capabilities at the hands of our joint and international warfighters, and it’s performing in combat operations from land and sea,” said Pentagon press secretary John F. Kirby.
F-35 Lightning II fighter jets operating from 21 bases around the globe. More than 1,460 pilots and 11,025 maintainers have been trained and the F-35 fleet has surpassed 430,000 cumulative flight hours.
