US Air Force Chief of Staff General David Allvin recently confirmed that the service’s F-35 purchases had been deliberately slowed. The decision is based on concerns over the ongoing Block 4 upgrade and the need to buy aircraft possessing “the capability to meet the pacing threat.” Allvin told Defense One that the purchasing pace will increase when the Air Force can buy “F-35s that are most relevant for the fight.”

The Air Force says that limited finances and changing budgetary priorities require complete Block 4 F-35s as opposed to less capable aircraft requiring upgrades which include software, weapons, sensors, and a new processor. Such aircraft are not considered ready for frontline service against a peer adversary without those upgrades.

The Pentagon’s 2026 budget request included only 24 F-35s, down from the target of 72 aircraft per year. The budget request also eliminated the Air Force’s E-7 Wedgetail program, despite the urging of........

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