Who Makes The F-35 Fighter Jet And How Many Does The US Have?

The F-35 Lightning II is one of the most modern jets in the world today, with the Air Force receiving its first low rate production delivery in 2011. The primary contractor for this jet is Lockheed Martin, with its X-35 concept defeating Boeing's competing X-32 prototype in 2001. However, it isn't the only company involved in the production of this stealth fighter — it also partnered with Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems to help with its development and manufacture. Lockheed initially assembled F-35s at its Fort Worth Air Force Plant 4, but other countries are also helping build these jets elsewhere.

The American defense giant has teamed up with the Italian company Leonardo to build these jets in Cameri, Italy, where European F-35s are being built and serviced. Lockheed Martin also works with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to produce the F-35 in Nagoya, Japan. Aside from that, the F-35's supply chain is composed of several companies located all over the globe. Some of its major components come from American companies, including Pratt & Whitney  (engine), Raytheon (aviation and munitions), and Collins Aerospace (unique F-35 pilot helmet).

It also gets parts from foreign businesses like Martin-Baker (ejection seats) based in the U.K., Italian company Alenia Aermacchi (wings), IHI Corporation (engine components) located in Japan, and Fokker (landing gear doors) from the Netherlands. This wide supply chain makes the F-35 Lightning II a truly global product. Because of that, it's also likely the reason it's one of the most exported U.S. jet fighters.

The Joint Strike Fighter program, which led to the development of the F-35, was supposed to create variants of the aircraft's base model for the USAF, U.S. Marines, U.S. Navy, the RAF, the Royal Navy, and other allied air forces. The USAF intended it to be the F-16's successor, giving the service a more affordable, multirole alternative to the F-22 Raptor. Unfortunately, the Lightning II turned out to be way too expensive as a replacement.

Despite that, the U.S. still ordered a good number of the F-35s for its fleet. According to Flight International (that link will download a PDF onto your device), it operates a total of 601 F-35s, spread across its three variants. The USAF has 246 F-35As in service for combat duty, with 139 assigned to training and another 1,350 units on order. The Marine Corps lists 122 F-35Bs and F-35Cs in active service, with 38 more allocated for flight training, and 164 airframes in the order book, gradually replacing its aging F/A-18 Hornets.

Lastly, the Navy currently has 41 F-35Cs ready to fly on the front lines and 15 more designated for training pilots. On top of that, it's waiting for the delivery of 193 more units. The U.S. has a total of 1,707 F-35s on order, making it one of the most numerous aircraft types in America's air fleet. By comparison, there are only 875 active F-16 airframes operated by its armed forces.