(DCNF)—The U.S. Air Force slashed its request to Congress for Lockheed Martin’s most advanced fighter jet in half, dealing a blow to the defense industry titan, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday.
The branch slashed its order of F-35 fighter jets from 48 units to only 24 units in their procurement request documents sent to Capitol Hill this week, according to Bloomberg. Critics have long lambasted the fighter jet as an example of the pitfalls of Pentagon contracting due to its extremely costly development and timeline delays, as the F-35 was projected in 2024 to cost the Pentagon $2 trillion over the coming decades while it spent more than 20 years being behind full production levels.
As of May 2024, there were around 630 F-35s in service across the U.S. military, with more being sold to other nations for their armed forces; at the time, the military had plans to acquire nearly 2,000 more F-35 jets.
The procurement request may undergo major changes in Congress, and Lockheed Martin has many allies on Capitol Hill, according to Bloomberg. In total, Lockheed Martin has spent more than $3.5 million in lobbying congress so far in 2025, according to Open Secrets data.
The F-35 is a fifth-generation fighter designed to be a multi-role aircraft that incorporated vertical take-off and landing and stealth capabilities in order to facilitate use by all branches of the armed forces, according to the contractor. Lockheed Martin delivered its first jet in 2006.
So far, 967 jets have been contracted, and Lockheed Martin has delivered 747 units, according to Bloomberg. However, many of the jets have suffered from persistent readiness issues attributable to maintenance problems.
Each F-35 cost roughly $80 million to produce, F-35 Joint Program Office spokesman Russ Goemaere told Breaking Defense in 2023. The Pentagon has long held a preoccupation with expensive projects such as the F-35, with experts previously telling the Daily Caller News Foundation that the philosophy could be in for a rude awakening given that modern battlefields are increasingly dominated by cheap, mass-produced drones.
President Donald Trump recently unveiled the F-47 in March, meant to be America’s foray into sixth-generation fighters. The contract for the new aircraft went to Boeing, another mainstay manufacturer of the defense industrial complex.
The Trump administration has made it a priority to reform the Department of Defense’s contracting system, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently issuing a slew of orders in May to review contracts at the Pentagon, including major reform to the DOD’s weapons testing and procurement office.
“The F-35 is the cornerstone of the battlespace for the U.S. military, enabling peace through strength in the 21st century,” a Lockheed Martin spokesperson told the DCNF. “It is combat proven, offers the most advanced capability and technology, and is the most affordable option to ensure the U.S. and allies remain ahead of emerging threats. We will continue to work closely with the Administration, Congress and our customers to deliver this game-changing capability as the budget process continues in the months ahead.”
The Air Force did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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Why One Survival Food Company Shines Above the Rest
Let’s be real. “Prepper Food” or “Survival Food” is generally awful. The vast majority of companies that push their cans, bags, or buckets desperately hope that their customers never try them and stick them in the closet or pantry instead. Why? Because if the first time they try them is after the crap hits the fan, they’ll be too shaken to call and complain about the quality.
It’s true. Most long-term storage food is made with the cheapest possible ingredients with limited taste and even less nutritional value. This is why they tout calories so much. Sure, they provide calories but does anyone really want to go into the apocalypse with food their family can’t stand?
This is what prompted the Llewellyns to launch Heaven’s Harvest. They bought survival food from multiple companies and determined they couldn’t imagine being stuck in an extended emergency with such low-quality food. They quickly discovered that freeze drying food for long-term storage doesn’t have to mean sacrificing flavor, consistency, or nutrition.
Their ingredients are all-American. In fact, they’re locally sourced and all-natural! This allows their products to be the highest quality on the market, so good that their customers often break open a bag in a pinch to eat because they want to, not just because they have to due to an emergency.
At Heaven’s Harvest, their only focus is amazing food. They don’t sell bugout bags, solar chargers, or multitools. They have one mission – feeding Americans in times of crisis.
What they DO offer is the ability for people to thrive in times of greatest need. On top of long-term storage food, they offer seeds to help Americans for the truly long-term. They want them to grow their own food if possible which is why they offer only Heirloom, Non-GMO, Non-Hybrid, Open-Pollinated seeds so their customers can build permanent food security on their own property.
