Lockheed Martin has shot down reports that claim that President-elect Donald Trump could terminate the contract to purchase additional F-35 Lightning II stealth aircraft.

Lydia Moynihan, a correspondent with the New York Post, broke the story on social media site X (formerly Twitter): “Overheard: Trump told Lockheed CEO Jim Taiclet that he plans to cancel the $1T F-35 contract that was struck last month. “China is winning the fighter race while Lockheed sends executives to DEI camps,” a source close to Trump said of the decision.”

The post was presented without credible evidence and soon went viral on social media. Some critics of the fifth-generation aircraft lauded the news, citing the technical issues and high costs associated with the aircraft.

Nick Sortor, a journalist with Fox News wrote: “The amount of crashes, delays, and cost overruns is off the charts. This is one of the most wasteful projects in U.S. military history. Invest in unmanned aircraft instead!”

Though Donald Trump did not react to these claims swirling on social media, the aircraft manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, finally took to X to clear the air surrounding the future of the F-35 combat aircraft. Quoting the original post by Lydia, the manufacturer wrote: “This is false news and fake reporting.”

The development comes days after the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin reached a handshake agreement for two more lots of F-35 fighters. In a joint statement, Lockheed and the F-35 Joint Program Office stated that the first deal would include manufacturing lots 18 and 19 of the stealth fighter’s air vehicle. The two are now working out the specifics of the agreement. A formal contract is expected before the end of 2024.

It is noteworthy that the dismissal of the rumors by Lockheed Martin generated a mixed response from netizens. While some military bloggers and fans of the aircraft rejoiced, some others expressed suspicion and advised Lockheed Martin to be wary of the axe coming from Donald Trump.

Mocking the issue on X, Alex Luck, an ardent watcher of the PLA Navy and a noted defense analyst wrote: “It’s admittedly funny that Trump thinks China beats the US in next-gen aircraft on account of the F-35. With LockMart producing more aircraft annually than all the other 5th gen efforts globally combined.”

Notably, the rumor regarding the termination of the contract came days after Elon Musk, key adviser of President-elect Donald Trump and now tasked with leading the newly-created Department of Government Efficiency, targeted the Lockheed Martin Lightning II.

Last month, Elon Musk (charged with overseeing government spending) said that the F-35 Lightning II aircraft is obsolete in the age of drones. He said on X: “The F-35 design was broken at the requirements level because it was required to be too many things to too many people. This made it an expensive & complex jack of all trades, master of none. Success was never in the set of possible outcomes. And manned fighter jets are obsolete in the age of drones anyway. Will just get pilots killed.”

In another post, he wrote: “Meanwhile, some idiots are still building manned fighter jets like the F-35.” These posts were accompanied by a video of a large drone swarm, allegedly Chinese, flying in sync and making display patterns. The comments triggered an intense debate on social media, with the internet divided between the supporters and critics of the stealth fighter.

He says he wants to save the debt-ridden nation US$2 trillion. The comments hurt Lockheed Martin, which reportedly saw a 3 percent dip in its shares soon after.

F-35 Is Riddled With Problems, But It Is Here To Stay

The aircraft has experienced a seemingly never-ending string of technical issues, cost overruns, and delays. According to some estimates, the program is US$180 billion over budget and ten years behind schedule. Additionally, it continues to have challenges with “reliability, maintainability, and availability,” as stated in the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation annual report.

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) assessment published in October stated that the US Air Force (USAF) increased operations and maintenance budget over the last six years to maintain its F-35A aircraft, yet readiness fell short of expectations.

The government watchdog found out that the mission capability rates, which measure the percentage of time an aircraft can perform at least one of its missions, have only slightly increased despite the Air Force spending more and more to maintain its whole fighter fleet. 

The GAO lamented that the US Air Force’s fighter variant, the F-35A, “did not meet its mission capable goals in any of the years we reviewed.” The Marine Corps and Navy’s F-35B and F-35C versions also fell short of their objectives throughout the six years. 

The availability of the aircraft has declined despite the F-35’s whole life cycle cost crossing more than US$2 trillion, according to another GAO assessment published earlier this year.

However, despite the delays and cost overruns, the aircraft is highly capable and has been employed successfully in combat. It is expected to be the frontline fighter jet in a potential conflict with China over its potential invasion of Taiwan.

A study conducted by Chinese scientists earlier this year assessed that the F-35 would pose a bigger threat to China than the F-22 Raptors.  In a conflict with China, stealth fighters are seen to be crucial for breaking through its Anti Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) network.

The F-35 is an excellent tool for carrying out preemptive strikes because of its sophisticated stealth qualities, which are meant to avoid detection. The F-35 can also gather and exchange vital intelligence with other assets thanks to its advanced sensors and communication systems.

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