Danish Minister of Defense Soren Gade on Feb. 27 in Copenhagen signed a memorandum of understanding for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter production and sustainment and follow-on development, making Denmark the ninth and final partner nation to continue with the JSF program. Italy signed earlier this month, following Australia, Britain, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, and the US. According to a Lockheed Martin release, Air Force Brig. Gen. C.R. Davis, F-35 program executive officer, called the signing event “not the end of a process but rather the beginning of constructing the world’s greatest airpower coalition.”
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.