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Pentagon to Seek 85 F-35 Jets in Next Year’s Budget Request

  • Defense Department weighed more but wants money for upgrades
  • Biden administration’s move essentially in line with Trump’s
Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 jet.

Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 jet.

Photographer: Eric Baradat/AFP/Getty Images

The Biden administration will seek $11 billion to buy 85 Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 jets in the coming fiscal year, tracking a plan outlined last year by the Trump administration, according to a U.S. official.

With a $715 billion budget request for fiscal year 2022, the Pentagon had considered increasing the quantity of next-generation fighters it planned to buy but decided to instead focus on using additional funding to upgrade the F-35 with new capabilities every six months, the official said.