Variants within the same plane model, incompatible support equipment and a lack of shared data create barriers to interoperability, a Rand report warns.
When combined with another F-35 deal from December 2024, the Pentagon will pay Lockheed Martin about $24.3 billion for the 18th and 19th lots of the jets.
“President Trump appears to have been speculating out loud about future airplanes that, as far as I know, don’t exist," said former SECAF Frank Kendall.
Future Block 4 capabilities are intended to bring the F-35 better sensors, improved sensor integration, and the ability to carry more and deadlier weapons.