Lockheed Martin F-35

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

The Pentagon faces a rising bill in its goal to increase the Lockheed Martin F-35’s availability, which has continued to fall far below targets, a new watchdog report says.

The Senate Armed Services Committee on June 11 approved its version of the 2027 defense policy bill with new restrictions on defense industry.

Momentum is building with Diehl Defense for a potential integration of its IRIS-T short-range air-to-air missile on the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The Trump administration’s ploy to get the fiscal 2027 defense budget to $1.5 trillion is increasingly unlikely on Capitol Hill.

The German Air Force is undergoing an intense period of modernization through the end of the decade that will do more than just revitalize its core air dominance role, says Luftwaffe Inspector Lt. Gen. Holger Neumann.

A Danish audit of the country’s Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program has found that the country’s fleet of 27 aircraft could cost some 14 billion kronor more to operate than previously estimated.

Lufthansa Technik is preparing to ramp up its defense activities as Germany starts introducing into service a range of new aircraft.

Ottawa is trying to modernize its military, strengthen its industry and forge closer ties to Europe with its surprise airborne early warning and control pick.

A U.S. Navy depot delivered the first Lockheed Martin F-35 upgraded with a generational avionics improvement in May.

Switzerland says a multi-year effort to keep its aging fleet of Boeing F/A-18C/Ds operational a little longer is on track to bridge to the arrival of the Lockheed Martin F-35.

The Swiss government says its first Lockheed Martin F-35 has entered final assembly as the customer and company work toward first customer delivery next year.

The Netherlands is seeking another tactical weapon to expand the armament options for its Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Fleet.

The Polish Air Force has received its first three Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to be based in Poland.

Turkish ministers are urging European countries to collaborate more closely with Turkey's defense industry to quickly address shortfalls in capacity.

Rheinmetall would plan to build Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bats collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) at its facility that is also building Lockheed Martin F-35 parts if it can convince the German government to buy the drone.

The U.S. Marine Corps plans to reshape its aviation branch with the arrival of autonomous collaborative combat aircraft by 2030.

Israel has given the green light for the procurement of additional Lockheed Martin F-35s and Boeing F-15IAs.

Lockheed Martin and the UK defense ministry have expanded the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s ability to share data further.

The UK Defense Ministry expects to field the MBDA Spear 3 mini cruise missile on the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter starting in fiscal year 2028-29.

A group of bipartisan lawmakers have introduced a series of bills to further increase U.S. military aircraft procurement and pilot retainment.

The Pentagon’s fiscal 2027 budget request includes a major increase in F-35 procurement and spares after last year’s reduction.

Northrop Grumman is moving as “expeditiously as possible” to get a new radar system for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter into customers' hands, CEO Kathy Warden said on a company earnings call.

One of the biggest unanswered questions about the F-47 combat aircraft remains the identity of the engine supplier and the specific propulsion system.

Eighteen years after securing the contract to provide the UK Royal Air Force’s aerial refueling capability, Airtanker has launched efforts to secure a follow-on deal into the 2030s.