Speaking at a Brussels media briefing last week, Lockheed Martin CEO Robert Stevens insisted the future of the Joint Strike Fighter project is secure, but he acknowledged that a tight defense budget could lead to a reduction in the planned defense-wide buy of 2,400 aircraft. Stevens maintained, though, that the multinational JSF offers the “best programmatic model to deliver the maximum amount of value.” He believes budget pressures should send the Pentagon and Congress “to look for more, not less value for money.”
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.
