In a move that counters the Pentagon’s original procurement plan, the House of Representatives has proposed a defense spending bill that would increase the purchase of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters for fiscal year 2025.

The House Appropriations defense subcommittee’s draft bill, unveiled Tuesday, indicates a provision for eight additional F-35s than the military had initially slated for the upcoming fiscal period.

The original request from the Pentagon sought to fund 68 F-35s: 42 F-35As for the Air Force and a combination of 26 F-35Bs and F-35Cs for the Navy and Marine Corps.

In contrast, the House’s draft bill would supplement the Air Force with two more F-35As and the Navy with six more F-35Cs, raising the total to 76 jets, while the number of F-35Bs for the Marine Corps would remain constant.

The proposal to amplify the fleet of F-35s diverges from another House proposal, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which suggested a cut in F-35 purchases by as much as 20.

The NDAA, approved by the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) last month, aimed at initially reducing the Pentagon’s purchases to 58 jets, coupled with a halt on accepting another 10 jets until the resolution of various identified issues with the aircraft.

House lawmakers have exhibited growing frustration with the F-35 program and its manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, particularly over delays in Technology Refresh 3 (TR3) upgrades.

TR3 delays have impeded the delivery of the latest F-35 jets for close to a year.

HASC representatives have expressed intentions to reinvest savings from cutting the first 10 F-35s, approximately $1 billion, to ensure the jets are fully operational upon delivery.

In addition to the F-35s, the bill would allocate funds for other military acquisitions, including 15 KC-46 Pegasus aircraft, eight MH-139 Grey Wolf helicopters, and 18 F-15EX Eagle II fighters, as requested by the Air Force in March.

Notably, the bill diverges from the Air Force’s original projections of acquiring 48 F-35As and 24 F-15EXs in 2025.

The bill also proposes $1.9 billion for the procurement of the B-21 Raider stealth bomber and $2.7 billion for its continued development.

Additionally, $2.1 billion would be directed toward developing and modernizing the F-35, while the Next Generation Air Dominance future fighter program would receive $3.3 billion for development, aligning with the Air Force’s request.

Furthermore, the Air Force’s HH-60W Jolly Green II combat rescue helicopter buy has been increased with an additional $120 million for two more helicopters.

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Relevant articles:
– Proposed House spending bill would add more F-35s, Defense News, 06/05/2024
– 35, Israel win big in House appropriators’ $833B draft defense bill, Breaking Defense, 06/04/2024