How Much Does An F-35 Cost? (2024)

The F-35 Lightning II fighter jet is one of the latest fifth-generation fighter aircraft. It is produced by Lockheed Martin and is used by the US, UK, and at least eight other air forces. With current costs of up to $109 million per aircraft, it is one of the most expensive jets on the market.

The F-35 Lightning II

The F-35 was designed as a new fighter jet to replace several aircraft currently serving in US military fleets - including the F-16 Fighting Falcons and A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, and the US Navy's F/A 18 aircraft. It is a multirole aircraft capable of aerial attack, strike and bombing missions, aerial surveillance, and reconnaissance. They can carry both conventional and nuclear weapons. There are three main variants with different operating abilities:

Photo: Joe Kunzler | Simple Flying

The principal manufacturer is Lockheed Martin, but there is also involvement from Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems.

As of late 2023, over 900 aircraft have been delivered by Lockheed Martin. It is used extensively by the US Air Force, US Navy, and US Marine Corps as well as at least 16 other military air forces. The UK Royal Air Force has committed to at least 74 aircraft and may order more.

• The F-35A is a conventional take-off and landing fighter. This is the lightest and most capable variant.
• The F-35B is a short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant. To achieve this, it sacrifices fuel capacity and performance ability (it is limited to around 7G maneuvers, compared with 9G for the F-35A).
• The F-35C is designed for aircraft carrier operations, with catapult assisted take off and arrested recovery.

Photo:United States Marine Corps | Wikimedia Commons

See Also

What Is The F-35 Fighter And How Much Does It Cost?

Cost per aircraft

Pricing any military aircraft is difficult. They are, of course, not sold on the open market the same way that commercial aircraft are. Prices can vary significantly between purchases and based on customizations and equipment supplied as well. Nevertheless, we can still get a good idea of base pricing for the F-35.

Photo: Joe Kunzler | Simple Flying

According to analysis by Breaking Defense, the average complete 'fly-away' costs (including engines) for the three variants are as follows. This is based on average costs for the upcoming (post-2023) aircraft deliveries:

• F-35A: $82.5 million
• F-35B: $109 million
• F-35C: $102.1 million

These post-2023 are slightly down on those from earlier production runs. In 2021, the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation quoted previous F-34 costs (based on data from the US Project on Government Oversight) as $110.3 million for the F-35A, $135.8 million for the F-35B, and $117.3 million for the F-35C.

Note that purchases of aircraft from overseas air forces can often be quoted as more expensive, as a total package will include training, maintenance, and other support.

F-35 project cost overruns

Another way to consider the cost of the aircraft is to look at the overall project cost. The initial expected acquisition cost (the cost to take the aircraft into production) was $200 billion (as quoted by the New York Times in 2001). Delays and cost overruns quickly built up - with airframe issues, helmet and display issues, and arrester hook problems among others. There was also much less commonality in parts between the three variants than expected. By 2017, this had pushed the acquisition cost up to over $400 billion.

In 2023, it was widely reported that the estimate for the total lifetime cost of the F-35 program had risen to $1.7 trillion. This does not equate to a sales price for an aircraft, but it can give a different view of the overall cost. Almost 1,000 jets have been delivered to date, which would indicate a cost per aircraft of $170 million. There are several hundred aircraft at least still to be delivered, which will lower this figure.

Would you like to discuss more about the F-35, its development, uses, or costs? Feel free to do so in the comments section below.