Which Country Flies More F-35 Lightning II Fighter Jets Than All Others Combined?

In an offer that seemed to stun the world, American President Donald Trump recently offered to increase weapons and equipment  to India in 2025 — including access to F-35 Lightning II fighter jets developed by Lockheed Martin. The offer was made following a meeting between Trump and ndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. By providing India with F-35 Lightning II fighter jets, which many countries keep as a centerpoint of their defense strategies, Trump hopes to deepen the United States’ strategic and political relatonship with India. In particular, the two countries discussed the need to fight radical Islamic terrorism. But the aircraft also provide India with stronger air superiority and a more versatile aircraft than the country has seen, allowing India to now deploy F-35 jets in defense and attack situations. (One fighter jet benefit is speed in combat scenarios — and this fighter jet can hit 1,875 mph.)

But India is certainly not the only country interested in getting its hands on a fleet of F-35 Lightning II fighter jets. Here, 24/7 Wall St. set out to determine which countries are buying the most F-35s. To do this, we reviewed the 2024 World Air Forces report from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry publication to compile a list of the countries buying the most F-35 Lightning II fighter jets. We ranked them based on the number of F-35 jets each country has on order. We also included information on the number of active F-35s in each country’s fleet, the specific military branches that will be using these aircraft, and which variants of the F-35 (F-35A, F-35B, or F-35C) are on order or already in active service.

Why We’re Covering This Important Topic

The F-35 Lightning II fighter jet is considered the most advanced military aircraft in today’s world. This plane plays an important element in providing security and preventing future conflicts, both in the United States and abroad. Although the cost of each jet is high, ranging upwards of $62-109 million USD, manufacturing F-35 Lightning II fighter jets creates jobs and boosts the economy — particularly in the United States, where the jets are manufactured.

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

Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II (CC BY-SA 4.0) by :u0410u043du0434u0440u0435u043912.06.1992

• 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

IAF-F-35I-and-F-16I-nf (CC BY 4.0 DEED) by Israeli Air Force

• 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

Two F-35C Lightning II aircraf... (CC BY 2.0) by Official U.S. Navy Page

• 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