F-35

The F-35 Lightning II is Lockheed Martin's fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter, built in three variants sharing one airframe: the conventional F-35A, the short take-off F-35B flown by the US Marine Corps and the UK, and the carrier-based F-35C. It pairs low-observable shaping with an active electronically scanned array radar and sensor fusion, entering US service in 2015 and reaching 17 operator nations since. Average unit cost runs to roughly $78 million at Lot 15, against a programme lifecycle cost estimated above $1.7 trillion.

On 22 July 2026 Washington relocated additional F-35 squadrons from European bases into the Gulf, part of a wider fighter and tanker build-up, with some aircraft routed to Israeli bases. That followed months of unverified Iranian claims against the type, including an IRGC assertion on 26 May that it had fired on an F-35 over the Gulf.

The platform's core proposition, a radar cross-section low enough to defeat systems such as Iran's Bavar-373, now faces pressure from a different direction: the US Air Force's first funded autonomous wingman contracts went to Anduril and General Atomics rather than Lockheed Martin, targeting unit costs under $30 million.