The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is already dominating investment in future airpower throughout the world, even before it has entered full-rate production. By mid-2013, the total US investment in the programme was close to $400 billion, with a requirement to procure 2,457 aircraft through 2037. The total life-cycle cost of the F-35 to the US Government is estimated to be in the range of $850 billion to $1.1 trillion, far greater than any other military aircraft in history. Internationa partners are looking at future force structures in which the F-35 will constitute much or a of their combat aircraft strength. Most of the air arms that will invest in F-35s have a broad range of combat experience and diverse operational needs, none of which cou d develop a fifth-generation fighter a one. The F-35 was intended from its inception to be an international programme, designed to enable the US armed services and a !y nations to carry out a range of tactical missions - primarily air-to-surface but a so air-to-air - in the face of high-performance threats, particularly surface-to-air missiles, that are likely to proliferate in the coming decades. The programme was a so aimed at addressing the continued viability of manned combat aircraft which has been threatened by rising procurement, operational and maintenance (O&M) costs.
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