In the year 2025, Lockheed Martin delivered a record 191 F-35 fighter jets, surpassing its previous delivery record of 142 jets, the company said in a statement.
This is a mind-boggling number, as it means that the company delivered one F-35 fighter jet every two days, marking a significant production milestone in the global aerospace industry.
Lockheed Martin further said that annual F-35 production is now running at a pace five times faster than that of any other allied fighter aircraft currently in production, underscoring the program’s scale and maturity.
For perspective, Dassault delivered 26 Rafale fighter jets in 2025, one more than its target of 25. Of the 26 Rafales, 15 were for export customers and 11 for the French armed forces.
Similarly, Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) delivered seven batches of Su-35 air superiority fighters in 2025; however, the company did not disclose the number of jets delivered in each batch.
According to reports, each batch delivered two or three fighter jets, so over the year the UAC delivered 14 to 21 Su-35 jets to the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS).
Annual production numbers are not available for Eurofighter Typhoons and Gripens; however, media reports suggest that 12 Typhoons and 17 Gripens were delivered in 2025.
Nonetheless, it can be safely said that Lockheed produced more F-35s in 2025 than Rafale, Typhoon, Su-35, Su-34, and Gripen combined.
One reason for this extraordinary output of the F-35 is that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program has been a joint development effort with eight other countries.
In fact, according to Lockheed Martin, nearly 30 to 42 per cent of the jet is manufactured outside the US across three continents before final assembly in Texas.
Another reason is the massive demand for the F-35 fighter jets.
Lockheed Martin has already delivered over 1,300 units, and total program commitments exceed 3,000 aircraft across 20 nations.
In addition to the unprecedented production rate, the F-35 also achieved other milestones in 2025.
The year also saw the F-35 program surpass one million flight hours and deliver its most advanced software suite to date with the completion of Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3).
The year also saw the use of F-35 fighter jets in multiple conflicts worldwide.
The aircraft played a key role in suppressing Iranian air defenses during Operation Midnight Hammer and Operation Rising Lion.
During the 12-day Iran-Israel War, the Israeli F-35I Adirs regularly bombed Iranian military sites, conducted numerous dangerous missions in Iran’s heavily defended airspace, and delivered results without suffering any casualties.
Even during the B-2 bombings, the F-35s, along with the F-22 Raptors, led the mission. They moved ahead of the B-2 bombers, conducting air superiority and air defense-suppression missions to clear the way for the B-2s to operate safely and effectively.
According to Lockheed Martin’s statement, in 2025, the F-35 also recorded nearly 5,000 mishap-free flight hours during a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B deployment.
The F-35s were also used to eliminate Russian drones over Poland, marking the first time NATO F-35s engaged threats in allied airspace.
“I’m immensely proud of the F-35 enterprise for delivering on our production commitments, performing with excellence, and growing our global partnerships in 2025,” said Chauncey McIntosh, Vice President and General Manager of the F-35 Lightning II Program.
“As our warfighters continue to employ the F-35 to protect the interests of America and our allies around the world, we’re committed to continuing to push the latest technology into the hands of the warfighter to defeat any threat.”
The company further said that in September, the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) and Lockheed Martin reached a final agreement on Lots 18-19 for the production and delivery of up to 296 F-35s for US$24 billion, marking the largest production contracts in program history.
With nearly 1,300 aircraft in service and 12 nations operating the F-35, Lockheed Martin says the fighter jet remains a cornerstone of global security.
In fact, there are currently more F-35s in the world than all other fifth-generation fighter jets (F-22s, Su-57s, J-20s, and J-35s) combined. However, despite record deliveries, there remains a heavy backlog of F-35 fighter jet orders.
Lockheed Martin reported a backlog of 265 F-35 jets at the end of Q3 2025, before adding an additional 151 in early Q4 2025. This brings the total backlog to around 416 aircraft as of late 2025.
Meanwhile, the F-35 orders will continue to grow as demand for the stealth aircraft remains strong.
For instance, in 2025, Italy and Denmark increased their programs of record, adding 25 and 16 aircraft, respectively, to their planned fleets.
In the Middle East, the F-35’s footprint could expand beyond Israel. US President Donald Trump has signaled his intention to sell the aircraft to Saudi Arabia and even to Turkey.
Both countries have repeatedly expressed their desire to purchase the F-35.
In early 2025, Trump also showed openness to selling the fighter jet to India; however, so far, India has not expressed keen interest in the aircraft.
Regardless, the demand for the stealth aircraft remains strong, and Lockheed Martin’s orderbook will remain full for many years to come.
The record production rate for the F-35 is sure to make Trump happy, who has been repeatedly complaining about the slow pace of US defense production.
On January 8, Trump once again flagged the issue.
In a social media post, Trump said, “Defense Companies are not producing our Great Military Equipment rapidly enough and, once produced, not maintaining it properly or quickly. From this moment forward, these Executives must build NEW and MODERN Production Plants, both for delivering and maintaining this important Equipment, and for building the latest Models of future Military Equipment. Until they do so, no Executive should be allowed to make in excess of $5 Million Dollars.”
Also, he said, “I will not permit Dividends or Stock Buybacks for Defense Companies until such time as these problems are rectified…”
Trump singled out RTX for their production rate.
“I have been informed by the Department of War that Defense Contractor, Raytheon, has been the least responsive to the needs of the Department of War, the slowest in increasing their volume, and the most aggressive spending on their Shareholders rather than the needs and demands of the United States Military. Raytheon seems to think this is the Biden Administration, and this is “business as usual,” IT’S NOT!…”
Lockheed Martin To Triple Patriot Production
Apart from the F-35, Lockheed Martin has also announced a major increase in production of the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE), the advanced interceptor variant of the Patriot air and missile defense system.
On January 6, Lockheed Martin signed a seven-year framework agreement with the US Department of War to rapidly accelerate production and delivery of PAC-3 MSE interceptors. This deal aims to more than triple annual production capacity from approximately 600 missiles per year to approximately 2,000 over the seven-year period.
PAC-3 MSE is supplied to 17 nations, including Sweden, Qatar, Japan, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and Ukraine.
Notably, Lockheed Martin has already substantially increased the production rate of PAC-3 MSE by more than 60% over the past two years, delivering 620 PAC-3 MSEs in 2025.
Lockheed had delivered approximately 380 PAC-3 MSE interceptors in 2023 and nearly 500 in 2024.
