The F-35 Lightning II faces a potential $1.2 billion cut in its budget for the next fiscal year. In its recently approved 2007 Defense Appropriations bill, the Senate Appropriations Committee decided to delay production for one year. (The panel approved $81 billion in overall Pentagon procurement). The appropriators, who have the authority to fund or not fund projects authorized by the Senate Armed Services Committee, cited what they viewed as unnecessary concurrency in the production and testing of the F-35, according to the committee’s report. The committee wants to see the airframe structure and design validated through flight testing before continuing with procurement, citing the possibility of cost increases and schedule delays. The Pentagon seems certain to fight the cut in later rounds of the debate.
The Pentagon is counting on Congress to navigate a legislative tightrope and pass a party-line bill to fund nearly a quarter of its $1.5 trillion budget request for fiscal 2027, including billions of dollars for top priorities like Golden Dome, the F-35, munitions, and unmanned systems. Experts and lawmakers from…