Lockheed Martin delivered 191 F-35s during 2025, a record high for deliveries of the stealth fighter aircraft, and 35% more than during the previous high point - 142 delivered in 2021. “Annual F-35 production is now running at a pace five times faster than any other allied fighter currently in production, underscoring the program's scale and maturity,” according to Lockheed, the lead contractor for an extensive design and supply program.
The delivery record is not likely to be topped soon. Lockheed has stated it can produce 156 of the aircraft per year.
What Lockheed does not mention in its announcement is that the exceptional rise in deliveries last year included a large number of aircraft held over from 2023-2024, when the Pentagon refused to accept deliveries of because it had not approved the hardware and software revisions involved with the Technology Refresh-3 package - updates to the jets’ computing capabilities that increase data processing power, memory, and data storage. TR-3 updates are also understood to be a necessary bridge to the aircraft’s future Block 4 capabilities.
The F-35 is a series of single-engine, Stealth-enabled aircraft deployed for ground attack and combat, and available in three variants. The jets have been in production for more than a decade, and the Block 4 upgrade is focused on modernizing the F-35’s capabilities with electronic hardware and software advances to facilitate dozens of new weapons systems.
While the cost of the F-35 aircraft is an ongoing point of contention between Lockheed and the Defense Dept., both for the deliveries and sustainment of almost 1,300 jets in service for the U.S. and more than a dozen allied nations, the program continues to be funded and extended for future development.
In September 2025, the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin finalized terms for Lots 18 and 19 of the aircraft program, agreements totaling $24 billion for delivery of up to 296 F-35s. They are the largest production contracts to-date in the 25-year history of program.
Chauncey McIntosh, Lockheed’s F-35 program manager, stated: “As our warfighters continue to employ the F-35 to protect the interests of America and our allies around the world, we’re committed to continuing to push the latest technology into the hands of the warfighter to defeat any threat.”