Lockheed Martin F-35

Aviation Week has assembled this guide to some of the most important contests that are unfolding between 2023 and 2032.

Repeated sightings of a new form of low-observable features means infrared stealth technology is progressing out of military and industry laboratories.

The F-35 Joint Program Office head says he still cannot predict when a software issue that has halted deliveries from Lockheed Martin will be corrected.

An ongoing software problem haunts Lockheed Martin’s production and modernization agenda for the F-35 as a raft of new competitors hit key milestones in 2024.

The $280 billion largesse of the CHIPS and Science Act has started filtering down to the industrial centers supplying parts to Pentagon programs.

Belgium has been presented with its first F-35 even though the country has delayed delivery, awaiting certification of the latest software release.

The UK has established its second frontline F-35 Joint Strike Fighter squadron.

Readers write about Check 6, F-35 and Pratt & Whitney engine problems and aircraft carrier ops. Plus: Behind the Scenes at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center.

A contract dispute between F-35 maker Lockheed Martin and key supplier Howmet Aerospace has become public with a Lockheed lawsuit and a vocal Howmet defense.

Auditors have determined the UK Defense Ministry’s plans to purchase equipment over the next 10 years are again unaffordable.

Most fighter aircraft made in the U.S. are in line to get improved radar warning receivers and self-protection jammers.

As military needs evolve in airspace use, improved collaboration with civil users and more cross-border cooperation are to be expected.

Portugal appears to be moving toward an acquisition of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, statements by the country’s air chief suggest.

New-build deliveries of fighter aircraft are expected to eclipse 5,000 airframes globally, for a total value of nearly $460 billion USD. Lockheed Martin’s F-35 is expected to capture 34% of that total.

A preliminary design review for the F-35 Engine Core Upgrade is scheduled by the end of January, paving the way to start the next phase of development.

The Danish Defense Ministry has warned of potential further delivery delays for its Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.

Increased competition from Chinese primes like Chengdu is close at hand, with analysts predicting J-20 exports beginning in the 2030s. A look at data from Aviation Week Network’s Fleet Discovery Military tool may offer clues as to the nature of the competition to come.

The U.S. Air Force wants its early Collaborative Combat Aircraft to have range equal to or beyond that of fighter aircraft.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

Ascent uses government-furnished Hawk T2s to provide Phase 2 fast jet training.

Geopolitical tensions, particularly Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, are driving the strongest defense market demand since 2008-09.

Geopolitical tensions create a demand for carrier deployments that is not likely to abate soon.

CVN 73 aims to shake off its reputation from prolonged maintenance and bring new capabilities to the Pacific.

The fighter needs more cooling system capacity to keep electronics from overheating, but long-term requirements may entail major changes.

The Israeli air force detected the missile coming from the southeast, and scrambled F-35Is, which Israel nicknames the “Adir,” to intercept the weapon.