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The Overseas Trade:


Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

The nine non-US countries signed up as partners on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program have a combined airframe requirement of 600 to 800—basically equivalent to the whole Navy/Marine Corps planned buy. Those export aircraft are worth some $60 billion. And, Lockheed officials expect there will be additional, non-partner countries interested in purchasing the JSF. More than 30 countries eventually bought—and are buying—the F-35’s predecessor, the F-16. Lockheed has built about 4,500 F-16 fighters.

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org