Pentagon budget 2017: Five-year plan funds but slows purchase of 404 F-35s

[Zarvan]

The Pentagon plans to slow its F-35 buy over the next five years, delaying a production ramp that was expected to also entice allies into accelerating purchases. Source: Jamie Hunter
Key Points

• The United States plans to buy 404 F-35s over the next five years
• An acceleration of US orders expected in 2018 will now occur in 2021 instead

The US Defense Department (DoD) has requested funding for 404 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters over the next five years, known as the Future Years Defense Program (FYDP), but a long awaited acceleration of orders will not occur until 2021, according to budget documents and officials.

From fiscal year 2017 (FY 2017) through FY 2021, the Pentagon still plans to procure 404 jets - specifically, 63 F-35s in FY 2017, 70 in FY 2018, 80 in FY 2019, and 86 in FY 2020, according to budget documents released on 10 February. The ramp-up would instead occur in FY 2021 when the US expects to order 105 F-35s, Pentagon F-35 programme manager Lieutenant General Christopher Bogdan said during a 10 February press briefing.

Further, the order defers 45 conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) A-model jets for the US Air Force (USAF) over the FYDP while accelerating orders of B- and C-model aircraft for the US Navy (USN) and US Marine Corps (USMC) over the same time period. The USN is purchasing carrier variant C-models for its own pilots and a combination of short-takeoff and landing (STOVL) B-models and some C-models for the USMC.

Specifically, the USAF would purchase 243 F-35As through FY 2021, while the Department of the Navy would purchase 64 F-35Cs, and 97 F-35Bs. The Pentagon's entire programme of record remains unchanged at 2,457 aircraft.

The USMC declared the F-35B combat-ready in July 2015, and the USAF is expected to do the same with the F-35A in August. The USN will be the last to declare its variant operationally ready by early 2019. Meanwhile, the USN also plans to buy two more Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets with FY 2017 overseas contingency operations (OCO) money and another 14 over the FYDP because of a shortfall in carrier-based strike aircraft.

Want to read more? For analysis on this article and access to all our insight content, please enquire about our subscription options ihs.com/contact




To read the full article, Client Login
(354 of 446 words)

Pentagon budget 2017: Five-year plan funds but slows purchase of 404 F-35s | IHS Jane's 360