Japan rolled out its first F-35A Lightning II Friday at a ceremony attended by senior Japanese and US officials at Lockheed Martin’s Forth Worth, Texas, assembly facility. With the initial aircraft, AX-1, on the stage in the background, Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson called the event an “important milestone for the special relationship between the United States and Japan.” Hewson said that three more F-35s for Japan would be made in Fort Worth, to be followed by another 38 that would be made in Mitsubishi’s final assembly and checkout facility in Nagoya, Japan. “The F-35 will be the treasure of Japan,” said State Minister of Defense Kenji Wakamiya. “The F-35A will be the engine that moves our strong alliance forward,” added Gen. Yoshiyuki Sugiyama, Chief of Japan’s Air Self Defense Force.
Air Force Munitions Gets Big Boost from Reconciliation
June 28, 2025
Thanks to reconciliation, the fiscal 2026 Air Force budget would get a surge of munitions procurement, but it's not yet clear if the production increase will be sustained. The Air Force revealed the secret AIM-260 air-to-air missile's funding for the first time.