This Country’s Fleet of F-35 Lightning II Fighter Jets Cost More Than the GDP of a Small Country

In mid-July 2024, Lockheed Martin and the F-35 Joint Program Office shared that Dannelly Field, Alabama, and Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada received the first Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) optimized F-35 Lightning II fighter jets. TR-3 builds upon previous technology refreshes and offers new capabilities such as better sensor fusion, easier-to-use displays, and stronger memory capacity. F-35 Lightning II fighter jets are already known for their versatility and cutting-edge applications. Adding TR-3 only serves to make the military aircraft more effective in combat situations. (Aircraft are increasingly getting new, exciting updates. Here’s where the future of military aviation might take us.)

What makes the F-35 Lightning II special is that it brings next-level features like stealth, maneuverability, and the ability to cruise at supersonic speeds without afterburners. Also, it’s versatile with its weapons load, and capable of carrying up to 18,000 pounds of munitions. (Here are the fastest and most powerful fighter jets in existence.)

At the moment, only 20 countries globally have ordered or used F-35 Lightning II fighter jets. These military aircraft can be cost-exclusionary, with the basic F-35A coming in around $110 million per unit. The F-35B is a bit pricier at around $136 million each, but it has the ability to take off from short runways and land vertically. At the same time, there’s the F-35C, built for aircraft carriers, which costs roughly $117 million per unit. The cost means that countries with F-35 fighter jets often have a more elite and exclusive fleet. However, most countries deploying these jets are U.S. military allies rather than enemies or global powers with fraught geopolitical tensions.

Here 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at countries with these jets in their fleets. To identify the countries with the most F-35 Lightning II fighter jets, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2024 World Air Forces report from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry publication. We ranked these countries according to the number of F-35 jets in their military. We included supplemental information regarding active F-35s in respective fleets, military branches that will be using these aircraft, and what variants of the F-35 are on order or are currently in service.

Why Are We Covering This?

F-35 Lightning II fighter jets represent the pinnacle of modern military aviation. The F-35 has become a critical asset for many of the U.S. allied countries that employ them, strengthening their air defense capabilities and maintaining a technological edge over potential adversaries. Wider use of F-35 fighter jets suggests a changing landscape in future war situations.

Here are the countries with the most F-35 Lightning II fighter jets:

10. Denmark

• Active aircraft: 10
• Aircraft on order: 17
• Military branches: Royal Danish Air Force
• Variant(s): F-35A

9. Italy

• Active aircraft: 25
• Aircraft on order: 65
• Military branches: Italian Air Force, Italian Navy
• Variant(s): F-35A/B

8. United Kingdom

• Active aircraft: 29
• Aircraft on order: 105
• Military branches: Royal Air Force
• Variant(s): F-35B

7. Netherlands

• Active aircraft: 34
• Aircraft on order: 18
• Military branches: Royal Netherlands Air Force
• Variant(s): F-35A

6. Japan

• Active aircraft: 36
• Aircraft on order: 110
• Military branches: Japan Air Self-Defence Force
• Variant(s): F-35A/B

5. Israel

• Active aircraft: 39
• Aircraft on order: 36
• Military branches: Israel Air and Space Force
• Variant(s): F-35I

4. Norway

• Active aircraft: 40
• Aircraft on order: 12
• Military branches: Royal Norwegian Air Force
• Variant(s): F-35A

3. South Korea

• Active aircraft: 40
• Aircraft on order: 25
• Military branches: Republic of Korea Air Force
• Variant(s): F-35A

2. Australia

• Active aircraft: 63
• Aircraft on order: 37
• Military branches: Royal Australian Air Force
• Variant(s): F-35A

1. United States

• Active aircraft: 553
• Aircraft on order: 1855
• Military branches: United States Air Force, United States Marine Corps, United States Navy
• Variant(s): F-35A/B/C

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