The F-35 Lightning II is becoming the primary fighter jet tasked with defending the skies of US allies in Europe and the Pacific. The jet is being integrated with other allied fighter jets (like F-15s, Typhoons, and F-16s) and air defense assets. The F-35 is an incredibly complicated system, and when a country purchases it, that country becomes more integrated into the US-led alliance. Countries that purchase the jet today must continue working with the United States for decades to keep the jets operational.

Twenty countries have now ordered the F-35, and Lockheed Martin has delivered 1,100+ of them. With 110 delivered in 2024 and an expected 156+ to be delivered in 2025, the F-35 is being produced at a higher rate than any other fighter jet ( with its closest rival likely to be the Chinese J-20 Mighty Dragon).

NATO's fifth-generation fighter jet

While there is plenty of criticism online for the F-35 Lightning II (e.g., it's too expensive, it can't dogfight, it was designed to do too many things), it seems that those who actually operate it never complain about it. The F-35 is loved by all the air forces that fly it. According to Alex Hollings from Sandboxx News, US pilots even say they would choose the F-35 over an F-22 Raptor in a dogfight.

"Despite its higher operating costs, every single air force that has been allowed to assess the F-35 directly against its European and US competitors has ultimately opted for the F-35—the operational capability in contested airspace is simply in a different class." - Justin Bronks

Almost every country that could realistically order it has done so (there are plenty more countries that want to buy it, but the US has refused). Almost every eligible country in Europe has now ordered the F-35. France and Sweden refrain from purchasing foreign fighters as they focus on domestic fighter jet programs, while Portugal and (likely) Spain are expected to place orders in due course. Other air forces (like Slovakia and Bulgaria) are too small to require luxury fifth-generation fighters. The F-35 is the only fifth-generation fighter jet in Europe (although the Europeans are working on sixth-generation fighters expected to come into service in the 2030s and 2040s).

There is no fighter jet on the export market that remotely rivals the F-35 (the China J-20 and the extremely specialized F-22 are export restricted). As Professor Justin Bronks puts it, "...all that stuff [the internal unseen systems and integration of the plane] is where the US has had a crushing advantage over European producers for 20-30 years at least."

In Europe, legacy Harrier jump jets, Tornados, F/A-18 Hornets, and F-16 Fighting Falcons are being replaced by the F-35. In Canada, F-35As have been selected to replace Canada's aging fleet of F/A-18 Hornets. Elsewhere, US allies Israel, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and Singapore have also purchased the jet.

The United States is to be the largest operator of the F-35 (with a total of 2,443 F-35 jets planned). In fact, the three main United States services take the top three spots (the US Air Force plans to procure 1,763 F-35As, the Marines 420 F-35Bs and F-35Cs, and the US Navy 260 F-35Cs). Currently, allied nations are expected to order a total of over 1,100 F-35s (mostly F-35As).

A multinational program

Unlike the F-22, the F-35 was conceived and developed as a multinational project. In particular, the British were heavily involved in developing the program (around 15% of the F-35's components are made in the United Kingdom). Other components are produced by various partners, from Canada to Australia to the Netherlands (Turkey was producing parts before it was expelled from the program). That said, the jet is still very much an American fighter jet.

While the F-35 was named after the World War II Lockheed P-38 Lightning, the name also works for the Royal Air Force (which operated the English Electric Lightning interceptor in the 1960s-1980s). The name also suits the RAF convention for naming fighters after the weather (e.g., Panavia Tornado, Eurofighter Typhoon, BAE Tempest).

The assassin, not the thug

While the F-35 can carry a large amount of ordinance externally, it needs to carry its ordinance internally to preserve its stealthy profile. This means that the F-35 is quite restricted in what it can carry. It is not intended for heavy bombing but for precision, surgical strikes in defended airspace. It is not intended to be fast (it only reaches 1.6 Mach), and it is not intended to impress onlookers at airshows with fancy Cobra maneuvers. It is intended to be a stealthy super-sensing ninja capable of super-sensor fusion, seeing what nothing else sees.

"This sensor integration helps bring unparalleled situational awareness, information-sharing and connectivity to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members and other U.S. allies and partners who fly the F-35A. This capability is critical in joint domain operations." - Ted Stevens Center

The F-35 works well when paired with fourth-generation fighters (which are cheaper to maintain and can carry more ordinance). The F-35 can provide excellent situational awareness to fourth-generation fighters while paving the way (by penetrating enemy air defense and taking out radars and the like). The Royal Air Force operates both the F-35B and the Eurofighter Typhoon, where they are known as the assassin and the thug.

Perhaps the F-35's best mission set is penetrating air defense. This was on full display in 2024 when Israel first took out one Iranian S-300 radar in April 2024 with no losses (it is believed that Israeli F-35s neutralized those systems).

The air-to-air juggernaut

European countries may purchase the F-35 in fairly low numbers, but it is an overmatch compared to any other fighter jet it is likely to face. Regarding Russia's Su-57 Felon, Professor Justin Bronks says it is low-observable but not very low-observable. He argues that while it may qualify as a fifth-generation fighter, that doesn't mean it's in the same category as the F-35 or J-20 (after all, the obsolete F-14 Tomcat and the F-15EX Strike Eagle II are both fourth-generation fighters—but still worlds apart).

"it's comparatively easy to produce something that looks like a stealth fighter-ish thing [like Su-57, KF-21, Kaan], that will fly. It is incredibly difficult and unbelievably expensive to sustain the production of a weapons system that works as a low observable fighter... and also all the things you don't see when you look at a plane. The integration between the weapons and the sensors... [and other integrations]" - Justin Bronks

While the F-35 was not optimized as a dogfighter, it is now the second-best fighter jet in an air-to-air role after the F-22 Raptor (boasting an exercise victory rate of around 20:1). The F-35 is not even a mature platform. The Technology Refresh 3 upgrade rolling out is set to make the jet much more capable. A future Block 5+ could enhance the F-35's air-to-air capabilities to the point where it beats the F-22 in its own game.

It should be noted that while the F-35 is designed to engage in air-to-air combat beyond visual range, there are scenarios where close-range engagements are possible. These include two low-observable aircraft not detecting each other until much later and incidents breaking out while the jet conducts border patrols.

Wargames by the think tank CSIS suggest that the biggest threat to fighter jets like the F-35 and F-22 is being hit on the ground. Meanwhile, Justin Bronks points out that the Chinese J-20 has been designed not so much for going toe-to-toe with the F-35 but for targeting its enablers (particularly aerial tankers). Like everything, the F-35 has its weaknesses (like being parked on the ground and its need for refueling).

The world's most formidable fighter jet

The F-35 Lightning II is now the world's most formidable fighter jet, able to carry out a broad range of missions. It is particularly lethal in hunting down enemy air defense and performing penetration strikes (although it also excels in other roles like air-to-air combat). The jet has been selected by the bulk of the United States' most trusted allies and partners, where it plays an increasing role in multinational air defense.