Lockheed Martin delivers 191 F-35s in 2025, setting new programme record
January 8, 2026
Lockheed Martin announced on 7 January that it delivered a record-breaking total of 191 fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II multi-role stealth fighters to customers in 2025, beating the previous annual delivery record of 142 aircraft – which was set in 2021 – by almost 50 airframes.
The latest figure also marks a significant uptick in aircraft deliveries compared to the previous year, when just 110 F-35s were handed over to customers.
Lockheed Martin comes storming back after a year-long delivery pause
Deliveries of the fifth-generation fighter were halted for much of 2023 and early 2024 after a year-long acceptance freeze was imposed on the type by the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) due to ongoing issues with its highly anticipated Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) hardware/software update – a key enabler for the platform’s advanced Block IV capability upgrade.
Despite ongoing challenges with the upcoming TR-3 update, this year-long delivery pause was formally lifted in July 2024. However, dozens of aircraft that were slated for delivery to customers in 2024 had their handovers delayed until 2025.
The F-35s delivered in late 2024 and through 2025 were handed over with a truncated version of the TR-3 update, meaning they still lack the full operational capabilities of the type’s new avionics package. The TR-3 update is now expected to be fully certified by mid-2026.
Commenting on Lockheed Martin’s F-35 delivery output in 2025, Chauncey McIntosh, vice president and general manager of the firm’s F-35 Lightning II programme, said: “I’m immensely proud of the F-35 enterprise for delivering on our production commitments, performing with excellence and growing our global partnerships in 2025.”
The ongoing global F-35 programme contributes roughly a third of Lockheed Martin’s overall annual revenue. According to the firm, “annual F-35 production is now running at a pace five times faster than any other allied fighter currently in production, underscoring the [programme’s] scale and maturity.”
2025: A year of F-35 delivery milestones
As of 8 January, almost 1,300 F-35s have been delivered to customers around the globe.
In total, 12 of the 19 countries that have formally ordered the Lightning II – comprising Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, South Korea, the UK and the US – either already use the type operationally or have at least received their initial aircraft.
The remaining seven nations (Canada, Finland, Germany, Greece, Romania, Singapore and Switzerland) are scheduled to receive their first F-35s over the coming years.
While the exact breakdown of how many F-35s each customer nation received in 2025 has not been released by Lockheed Martin, the country to receive the largest number of Lightning IIs last year was the US.
The US military is and will remain the largest operator of all three variants of the type – the conventional F-35A, short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL)-configured F-35B and carrier-capable F-35C. The forward plan is to acquire more than 2,000 examples for the US Air Force (USAF), US Marine Corps (USMC) and US Navy.
Notable F-35 deliveries in 2025
In July 2025, the USAF welcomed the delivery of its 500th F-35A, which was delivered to the 159th Fighter Squadron (FS) ‘Boxin’ Gators’ – part of the Florida Air National Guard’s (ANG’s) 125th Fighter Wing (FW) – at Jacksonville Air National Guard Base (ANGB).
This milestone was achieved a month before the F-35 JPO and Lockheed Martin agreed a $24bn deal on the production and delivery of up to 296 more Lightning IIs under Production Lots 18/19 – marking the largest production contract for the type in the programme’s history.
While many export nations, such as the UK and Poland, received additional F-35s in 2025, other customers – namely Denmark, Italy and Norway – marked significant delivery milestones.
Both Denmark and Italy recorded major increases in their existing Lightning II fleets with the addition of 16 and 25 more aircraft, respectively, while Norway welcomed the last of its now 52-strong F-35A force.
In the Far East, Japan accepted its first batch of STOVL-capable F-35Bs, which will eventually be fielded aboard the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s (JMSDF’s) Izumo-class aircraft-carrying multi-role destroyers.
Meanwhile, Belgium welcomed its first in-country F-35As to Florennes Air Base in October, marking a key milestone in the nation’s transition from the Lockheed Martin F-16AM/BM (MLU) Fighting Falcon to the Lightning II.
In December, the first of a planned 64 F-35As for Finland was rolled out during a ceremony at Lockheed Martin’s F-35 production facility in Fort Worth, Texas. This initial aircraft (serial JF-501) initially rolled off the production line on October 29, before completing its maiden flight on December 8 – eight days before the formal rollout ceremony.
This surge in F-35 deliveries comes as global demand for advanced fifth-generation combat aircraft has continued to grow in recent years amid heightened global geopolitical tensions and calls for rising defence budgets among NATO member states, US allies and partner nations.
Featured image: Lockheed Martin
