USAF seeks $9.9B for 1.1M flying hours in FY2027, a four-year high, but readiness gaps persist amid pilot shortages.
F-35
Pentagon awards Lockheed Martin $177M for three F-35 flight test jets to accelerate delayed Block 4 upgrades and certifications.
USAF more than doubles F-15EX buy to 267 jets in FY2027 budget, replacing aging F-15E Strike Eagles with Boeing’s latest Eagle II.
Finnish Air Force pilot flies F-35A Lightning II for the first time from Ebbing Air Force Base, marking a key milestone in Finland’s fleet transition.
Norway scrambles F-35 fighters from Evenes to intercept Russian Il-38 patrol aircraft near its airspace in latest QRA mission.
National Guard generals urge Congress to fund 72 to 100 new F-35A and F-15EX fighter jets annually to modernize the aging Air Force fleet.
The United States remains cautious about discussions surrounding the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet for India, with Lockheed Martin clarifying that no direct commercial engagement is taking place.
The U.S. Air Force is reviving its Standoff Attack Weapon (SoAW) program, seeking an affordable air-launched cruise missile ready for fielding by 2033, backed by a record $11.36 billion missile procurement budget request for fiscal 2027.
Canada is evaluating participation in the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) as an observer, signaling a potential shift from its contested F‑35 fighter acquisition.
The Pentagon’s fiscal 2027 budget requests only 38 F-35As for the U.S. Air Force out of 85 total F-35s, prompting analysts to warn the number is insufficient to reverse the service’s deepening fighter inventory shortfall amid competing modernization priorities.