The F-35 Lightning II is part of the fifth generation fighters and employs features like stealth, high maneuverability, and supercruise that were not available to previous generations of aircraft. It is incredibly versatile in terms of its weapons payload, and it can carry up to 18,000 pounds of these munitions. The cost ranges depending on the variant, of which there are three.
The stock standard variant is the F-35A and costs roughly $110 million per unit. The B variant costs slightly more at around $136 million per unit but it incorporates a short take-off and vertical landing system, which allows it to take off from extremely short runways as well as land vertically. The C variant is designed to be launched from aircraft carriers and costs about $117 million per unit.
24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2024 World Air Forces report from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry publication to identify the countries that buy the most F-35 Lightning II fighter jets. Countries were ranked according to the number of F-35 jets on order. 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.
Only 20 countries have ordered or actually employ these fighter jets and all are allies of the United States. As such, it is highly unlikely that adversarial nations like China or Russia would purchase or come to possess these aircraft. (Here is every major fighter plane flown by the U.S. Air Force.)
Here is a look at the countries that are buying the most F-35 Lightning II fighter jets:
20. Singapore
- Aircraft on order: 12
- Active aircraft: 0
- Military branches: Republic of Singapore Air Force
- Variant(s): F-35
19. Norway
- Aircraft on order: 12
- Active aircraft: 40
- Military branches: Royal Norwegian Air Force
- Variant(s): F-35A
18. Denmark
- Aircraft on order: 17
- Active aircraft: 10
- Military branches: Royal Danish Air Force
- Variant(s): F-35A
17. Netherlands
- Aircraft on order: 18
- Active aircraft: 34
- Military branches: Royal Netherlands Air Force
- Variant(s): F-35A
16. Czech Republic
- Aircraft on order: 24
- Active aircraft: 0
- Military branches: Czech Air Force
- Variant(s): F-35A
15. South Korea
- Aircraft on order: 25
- Active aircraft: 40
- Military branches: Republic of Korea Air Force
- Variant(s): F-35A
14. Poland
- Aircraft on order: 32
- Active aircraft: 0
- Military branches: Polish Air Force
- Variant(s): F-35A
13. Belgium
- Aircraft on order: 34
- Active aircraft: 0
- Military branches: Belgian Air Component
- Variant(s): F-35A
12. Germany
- Aircraft on order: 35
- Active aircraft: 0
- Military branches: German Air Force
- Variant(s): F-35A
11. Israel
- Aircraft on order: 36
- Active aircraft: 39
- Military branches: Israel Air and Space Force
- Variant(s): F-35I
10. Switzerland
- Aircraft on order: 36
- Active aircraft: 0
- Military branches: Swiss Air Force
- Variant(s): F-35A
9. Australia
- Aircraft on order: 37
- Active aircraft: 63
- Military branches: Royal Australian Air Force
- Variant(s): F-35A
8. Romania
- Aircraft on order: 48
- Active aircraft: 0
- Military branches: Romanian Air Force
- Variant(s): F-35A
7. United Arab Emirates
- Aircraft on order: 50
- Active aircraft: 0
- Military branches: United Arab Emirates Air Force
- Variant(s): F-35A
6. Finland
- Aircraft on order: 64
- Active aircraft: 0
- Military branches: Finnish Air Force
- Variant(s): F-35A
5. Italy
- Aircraft on order: 65
- Active aircraft: 25
- Military branches: Italian Air Force, Italian Navy
- Variant(s): F-35A/B
4. Canada
- Aircraft on order: 88
- Active aircraft: 0
- Military branches: Royal Canadian Air Force
- Variant(s): F-35A
3. United Kingdom
- Aircraft on order: 105
- Active aircraft: 29
- Military branches: Royal Air Force
- Variant(s): F-35B
2. Japan
- Aircraft on order: 110
- Active aircraft: 36
- Military branches: Japan Air Self-Defence Force
- Variant(s): F-35A/B
1. United States
- Aircraft on order: 1,855
- Active aircraft: 553
- Military branches: United States Air Force, United States Marine Corps, United States Navy
- Variant(s): F-35A/B/C
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