The U.S. military is requesting an additional 17 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.

The U.S. Air Force’s first two F-35 combat wings have reached the “full warfighting capability” milestone, service officials announced on Feb. 24. 

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) will upgrade its main northern base, in part to support U.S. operations there.

Congress intends to keep “very tight eyes” on the U.S. Army’s Future Vertical Lift, which needs to cost below $10,000 per flight hour to be effective, according to a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC). 

The U.S. Air Force’s acquisition chief said Feb. 18 that he expects a congressional backlash over how a recent revamp of the Next Generation Air Dominance procurement strategy could drive up the average procurement unit cost (APUC) of a sixth-generation fighter.

The service says there are sufficient quantities of the airborne system to support the National Defense Strategy.

Boeing has requested a license from the U.S. State Department so that it can add briefing materials about the F-15EX once the Indian Air Force finalizes requirements for a new fighter tender, the company said in an emailed statement.

The nearly $4 billion in procurement reprogramming is taken from the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and National Guard.