F-35 costs jump in latest production lots

An F-35B Lightning II launches from the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) in the Philippine Sea. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Sam McNeely)

WASHINGTON — The cost of all three variants of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter are increasing by as much as roughly 11 percent, according to the Pentagon.

A spokesperson for the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) confirmed to Breaking Defense that the average flyaway cost — a metric that measures when a jet has all the equipment it needs for delivery — of the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A rose to $92 million in the aircraft’s 18th and 19th production lots, which will deliver over the next two years. That’s up from the $82.5 million price tag of the jet’s most recent group of production contracts spanning 2023 to 2026, a growth of 11.5 percent.

Similarly, the price of a jump jet F-35B rose to $121.4 million across lots 18 and 19, while the carrier-capable F-35C climbed to $110.8 million. For the F-35B, that’s an increase of 11.4 percent compared to a previous price tag of $109 million; the F-35C had the smallest increase of 8.5 percent set against a prior cost of $102.1 million.

Air & Space Forces Magazine was first to report the new figures.

In response to a Pentagon document known as a modernized selected acquisition report (MSAR), which revealed rising buying costs for the stealth fighter, F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin previously said the report “shows the combat-proven F-35 program moving into full-rate production, resuming high-volume development deliveries and growing globally.” The company added that the report “also shows that the hard work has shifted from proving the basic aircraft to executing major modernization, improving fleet readiness and controlling long-term sustainment and integration costs.” Lockheed referred back to that statement today when asked to comment on the increased flyaway costs.

The F-35 program has been battered by inflation, rising prices of raw materials and supply chain issues, which drove up costs for lot 18, the Pentagon previously told Breaking Defense. Rising rates even sparked a cost dispute with Switzerland, culminating in Bern trimming its buy of the stealth fighter.

The flyaway cost includes government-furnished equipment outside the scope of Lockheed’s contract, such as the jet’s F135 engine built by RTX subsidiary Pratt & Whitney. The aircraft’s upgraded radar is supplied by Northrop Grumman, though delays have forced the Pentagon to accept new aircraft without the nose-mounted sensor, Breaking Defense previously reported . It’s not clear exactly how much those features may have influenced the overall price increase.

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Projected F-35 buying costs are going up by over $50 billion across the program’s lifespan due to factors like upgrades, shifting buy profiles and a surge in spare parts to boost lackluster readiness rates . Those costs, detailed in the MSAR document , also showed the F-35’s total lifecycle costs — the sum total the government expects to spend to buy and sustain the fighter — dipping beneath $2 trillion after surpassing that number in 2024.

One set of upgrades underway for the fighter is meant to enhance its engine, while a separate is intended to deliver a new power and thermal management system to address cooling challenges. Another modernization program known as Block 4 — which is over budget and years behind schedule — will add a suite of capabilities for the fighter, officials say. Block 4’s computing backbone, known as Technology Refresh 3, has still not been certified for combat, relegating jets delivered over the past two years to training.

A total of 20 customers globally, including the US, are on contract for the F-35. International customers can have differing requirements, which may come with varying costs. Foreign buyers also largely acquire the A variant, though some are procuring the F-35B; only the US flies the F-35C.

The Pentagon is planning to acquire 148 aircraft each in lots 18 and 19, for a total of 296 aircraft . Lockheed said in September 2025, when the contract was finalized, that the increase in price per jet was below the rate of inflation, while the JPO has said that the cost of the fighter’s airframe is “consistent” compared to prior years when adjusting for inflation.

一架F-35B“闪电II”战斗机从菲律宾海的“美利坚”号两栖攻击舰（LHA 6）的飞行甲板上起飞。（美国海军大众传播专家水兵萨姆·麦克尼利摄）

华盛顿——据五角大楼称，F-35联合攻击战斗机所有三种型号的成本都将增加约11%。

F-35联合项目办公室（JPO）发言人向《防务新闻》证实，F-35A常规起降战机的平均出厂成本（衡量战机交付所需全部设备的成本指标）已升至9200万美元，该价格对应的是第18和第19批生产批次，这两批战机将在未来两年内交付。相比之下，该战机最近一批生产合同（涵盖2023年至2026年）的平均出厂成本为8250万美元，增幅达11.5%。

同样，F-35B垂直起降战斗机的价格在第18和19批次中上涨至1.214亿美元，而舰载型F-35C的价格则攀升至1.108亿美元。F-35B的价格较之前的1.09亿美元上涨了11.4%；F-35C的涨幅最小，为8.5%，此前的价格为1.021亿美元。

《空军与太空部队杂志》率先报道了这些新数据。

针对五角大楼一份名为《现代化选定采购报告》（MSAR）的文件披露隐形战斗机采购成本不断上涨，F-35制造商洛克希德·马丁公司此前表示，该报告“表明久经实战考验的F-35项目正进入全面量产阶段，恢复大规模研发交付，并在全球范围内不断扩大规模”。该公司还补充说，该报告“也表明，工作的重点已从验证基本型飞机转向执行重大现代化改造，提高机队战备水平，并控制长期维护和集成成本”。今天，当被问及飞行成本上涨的问题时，洛克希德·马丁公司再次援引了这一声明。

五角大楼此前告诉《防务新闻》，F-35项目受到通货膨胀、原材料价格上涨和供应链问题的严重影响，导致第18批次的成本大幅上升。不断上涨的价格甚至引发了与瑞士的成本纠纷，最终导致伯尔尼削减了隐形战斗机的采购数量。

最终成交价包含了洛克希德·马丁公司合同范围之外的政府提供设备，例如由RTX子公司普惠公司制造的F135发动机。飞机升级后的雷达由诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司提供，但由于延误，五角大楼不得不接受没有安装机头雷达的新飞机，《防务新闻》此前曾报道过。目前尚不清楚这些因素究竟在多大程度上影响了总价的上涨。

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由于升级、采购计划调整以及为提升低迷的战备率而激增的备件需求等因素，F-35战机的预计采购成本在其整个生命周期内将增加超过500亿美元。这些成本在MSAR文件中详细列出，文件还显示，F-35的全生命周期总成本（即政府预计用于采购和维护该战机的总支出）在2024年超过2万亿美元后，将回落至2万亿美元以下。

目前正在进行的战斗机升级项目包括两项：一项旨在提升发动机性能，另一项旨在提供新的动力和热管理系统以应对冷却难题。官员表示，另一项名为“Block 4”的现代化改造项目（目前预算超支且进度落后数年）将为该战斗机增加一系列新功能。Block 4的计算基础架构，即“技术更新3”（Technology Refresh 3），尚未获得作战认证，因此过去两年交付的战机只能用于训练。

全球共有20个客户（包括美国）签订了F-35战斗机的合同。国际客户的需求各不相同，因此价格也可能有所差异。外国买家大多采购F-35A型，但也有一些采购F-35B型；只有美国使用F-35C型。

五角大楼计划分18批次和19批次分别采购148架飞机，总计296架。洛克希德公司在2025年9月合同最终敲定时表示，每架飞机的价格涨幅低于通货膨胀率；而联合采购办公室（JPO）则表示，经通货膨胀调整后，战斗机机身的成本与往年相比“保持稳定”。