U.S. President Obama’s nominee for the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford, told the Senate Armed Services Committee in writing that the total number of F-35 to be bought by the three services is under review.
By U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Katerina Slivinske [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
For many years, Pentagon officials have stressed that the United States requires 2,443 F-35s to be bought to replace aging fighters.
“Given the evolving defense strategy and the latest Defense Planning Guidance, we are presently taking the newest strategic foundation and analyzing whether 2,443 aircraft is the correct number,” Dunford wrote.