One Jet Every Two Days: How America’s F-35 Flew Past Rafale, Sukhoi And Everyone Else | World News

New Delhi: US defense industry giant Lockheed Martin, known for producing F-35 stealth jets, closed 2025 with a production increase that changed the global fighter jet market and pushed rival programs into the background. Last year, it set a new record by delivering 191 F-35 fighter jets, easily surpassing its previous peak of 142 aircraft.

The pace reached the completion of nearly one fighter jet every two days; This is a level of production rarely seen in modern military aviation.

Company data showed annual F-35 production is running nearly five times faster than other allied fighter jets currently in production. That pace showed how far the program had progressed beyond the constraints that slowed traditional fighter jet production lines.

Comparison with other great warriors showed the difference. French aviation company Dassault Aviation delivered 26 Rafale jets in 2025. It marginally exceeded its own target of 15 aircraft sent to export customers and 11 aircraft sent to the French armed forces.

Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation delivered seven batches of Su-35 fighter jets during the year. Reports indicated that each batch contained two or three aircraft, bringing the total delivery to somewhere between 14 and 21 jets for the Russian Aerospace Forces.

Exact annual figures for Eurofighter Typhoons and Saab Gripens have not been officially released, but media estimates have pointed to around 12 Typhoons and 17 Gripens being delivered in the same period. When combined, total production of the Rafale, Typhoon, Su-35, Su-34 and Gripen still falls short of Lockheed Martin’s 2025 F-35 production alone.

The scale of the F-35 program has its roots in its structure. The Joint Strike Fighter effort was developed with eight partner countries, creating a supply chain spanning three continents. Company statements showed that approximately 30 to 42 percent of each aircraft was built outside the United States before final assembly took place in Texas.

Demand matched this industrial reach. More than 1,300 F-35s have already been delivered, and total commitments now exceed 3,000 aircraft spread across 20 countries. This demand kept production lines under constant expansion pressure.

Beyond production figures, the program also exceeded many operational milestones throughout the year. The global F-35 fleet has surpassed 1 million total flight hours. Technology Refresh 3, the most advanced software package ever, was also introduced, bringing advanced processing power and combat capabilities to the aircraft.

The jet’s role was not limited to training and patrols. F-35s have been used in active combat during multiple conflicts. The aircraft supported efforts to suppress Iranian air defenses during Operation Midnight Hammer and Operation Rising Lion. During the 12-day Iran-Israel war, Israeli F-35I Adirs launched repeated attacks on Iran’s military installations, flying deep into heavily defended airspace and completing their missions without loss.

Even on long-range bombing missions involving B-2 stealth bombers, F-35s operated alongside F-22 Raptors at the front of the formation. Their mission was to secure air superiority and neutralize air defenses before bombers could enter contested areas.

Operational safety figures also stood out. During U.S. Marine Corps deployments, F-35B variants logged close to 5,000 accident-free flight hours. NATO operations achieved another first with the use of F-35s to intercept and destroy Russian drones in Polish airspace; This is the first recorded hostile threat engagement of NATO F-35s in allied skies.

Senior leadership in the program expressed pride in meeting production targets, maintaining operational performance and expanding global partnerships throughout the year. The focus was on delivering advanced technology to frontline forces to counter emerging threats.

Industrial momentum continued with major contracts. In September, the F-35 Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin completed agreements covering Lots 18 and 19, securing the production and delivery of up to 296 aircraft valued at approximately $24 billion. The deal represented the largest production contract in the program’s history.

With 12 countries actively operating nearly 1,300 aircraft and jets currently in service, the F-35 has become a central pillar of global air power. The fleet now outnumbers all other fifth-generation fighter jets combined, including the F-22, Su-57, J-20 and J-35.

Strong demand also led to a large backlog. As of the end of the third quarter of 2025, the number of backorders was 265 aircraft. Additions made early in the fourth quarter increased the backlog by another 151 jets, bringing the total to roughly 416 aircraft by late 2025.

Orders continued to increase throughout the year. Italy expanded its planned fleet by 25 aircraft, while Denmark added 16 more aircraft to its program. The possibility of new operators emerging in the Middle East outside of Israel also emerged; Signals from Washington pointed to potential sales to Saudi Arabia and Türkiye; both had repeatedly expressed interest. Earlier in the year, openness was also shown about a possible sale to India, but New Delhi has not signaled a strong intention to pursue the aircraft.

Sustainable production seemed compatible with political pressure on defense production capacity in the United States. Public criticism re-emerged in early January when concerns were expressed about the rate of production, maintenance standards and payments to shareholders in the defense industry.

There were calls for new and modern production facilities and limits on executive salaries until production and readiness problems were resolved. Particular criticism has been leveled at Raytheon for its slow production growth and prioritization of shareholder spending over military needs.

Lockheed Martin announced a major expansion in missile production as well as fighter jet production. The seven-year framework agreement signed with the US War Department on January 6 was aimed at increasing production of the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement interceptor. The plan aims to jump from about 600 missiles per year to about 2,000 missiles per year over the life of the agreement.

The PAC-3 MSE interceptor is currently used by 17 countries, including Sweden, Qatar, Japan, Poland, Saudi Arabia and Ukraine. Production is increasing and production has increased by more than 60 percent in the last two years. Lockheed Martin has delivered approximately 380 interceptors in 2023, approximately 500 in 2024 and 620 in 2025.

Taken together, the fighter jet ramp-up and missile expansion underscore a year in which Lockheed Martin not only broke records but also widened the gap between its own programs and those of its global rivals.