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.
F-35 Stealth Fighter Jet
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.
The fighters listed below represent the most capable operational combat aircraft in 2026, based on a mix of technological sophistication, combat capability, speed, stealth, and operational versatility.
Iran claims it shot down a second U.S. F-35 stealth fighter jet over central Iran amid Operation Epic Fury, with pilot survival unlikely.
Switzerland is weighing the cancellation of its Patriot air defense order after US delivery delays stretched to five years.
The United Kingdom has completed the delivery of its initial fleet of Lockheed Martin F-35B fighter jets, marking a key milestone in its fifth-generation airpower program.
A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighter assigned to Nellis Air Force Base (LSV) crashed within the Nevada Test and Training Range on March 31, 2026.
The US Air Force (USAF) has begun replacing F-16CM aircraft with Lockheed Martin F-35A jets to modernize its “wild weasel” mission in northern Japan.
Norway plans $11.8B defense boost for F-35 missiles, Type 26 frigates, and Type 212CD submarines to meet NATO’s 3.5% GDP target by 2035.
Lockheed Martin has initiated final assembly of Germany’s first F-35A stealth fighter at its production facility in Fort Worth, marking a major step in Berlin’s military modernization programme.