Air Force reduces request to Congress for F-35s, Bloomberg reports

The Air Force has reduced its request to Congress for Lockheed Martin’s (LMT) F-35s from 48 to 24, and now plans to ask for $3.5B for the F-35 aircraft, and another $531M for advance procurement of materials, while the Navy and Marines also plan to request funding for their F-35 variants, Bloomberg’s Roxana Tiron and Anthony Capaccio report. The F-35 program has faced criticism, including from Elon Musk and right-wing influencer Laura Loomer, who have questioned the need for manned fighter jets in an age of drones, with the program now valued at roughly $2T, the report notes.