The Warzone reported that the Joint Simulation Environment testing ‘ disruptions contributed to the full-rate generation decision coming more than four years later than expected.
Those testing, the supply mentions, were suddenly wrapped up at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland next September. It notes that in the process, 1, 000 F- 35s have been built for the US Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and international users.
The Warzone claims that finished F-35s are being parked as soon as they leave the manufacturing line because of continuing delays in the Tech Refresh- 3 ( Rr- 3 ) technology design.
It notes that construction underpins the F- 35’s potential capabilities, cooperatively known as Block 4, which will provide advanced new capabilities to the F- 35 including far- expanded processing power, new displays, increased cooling, new Electro- Optical Targeting System ( EOTS), Distributed Aperture System ( DAS ) electro- optical sensors and a host of additional weapons.
The US government is refusing to accept new plane as a result of concerns about the standing of Block 4 upgrades, which are seen as a core of the F-35’s potential for development.
William LaPlante, the secretary of defense for consolidation and sustainment, signed the letter approving the Milestone C choice, the statement said.
In the advanced stealth fighter class, China may be just a little behind. The Warzone released recent images of China’s Shenyang J- 35 this month, indicating that it could operate from both its current and upcoming carriers, including the Type 003 Fujian. The Warzone pictures reveal the aircraft’s underside, landing gear, and layout, all of which are similar to the F- 35C.
The Warzone says the J- 35 has long been linked to the People’s Liberation Army- Navy’s ( PLAN ) future catapult- assisted takeoff but arrested recovery ( CATOBAR ) carriers.
The report notes that it might make sense for J-35s to fly regularly from Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carriers because they would gain valuable experience and flight hours before the Fujian is fully operational.
Although the US has finally cleared the F-35 for full-rate production, it is not clear whether it will be able to meet its production goals as a result of the budget cuts that have led to lower orders.
According to reports that the US Air Force wo n’t be able to purchase as many F-35s as originally planned, Defense One reported this month that the organization had been informed of budget cuts.
Defense One mentions that the US Department of Defense’s ( DOD ) fiscal 2025 topline budget will be US$ 849.8 billion, about$ 10 billion less than forecast due to the US Congress’s cap on defense spending.
Defense One mentions that the cap has forced officials to reduce the number of F-35 jets they purchase next year from 83 to 70, according to Defense One. In terms of other fighter types, Breaking Defense reported this month that the US Air Force would be receiving 18 F-15EX fighters, with overall cuts resulting in only 86 out of 107 fighter jets that were originally planned for purchase.
Despite that, the 2025 cuts are at a level that the service can accept and will still allow progress on modernization, Defense One stated.
In contrast, China is progressing steadily with its 5th– generation fighter program, with the J- 20 as its flagship project.
China is expected to surpass the US in 5th-generation fighter production in February 2023, according to Asia Times, with its J-20 stealth fleet numbers expected to surpass the US F-22 inventory by this year.
Production of the F-22 was stopped in 2011 and only 187 of the 187 pieces of irreplaceable and increasingly obsolete were constructed. In contrast, China may already have up to 200 J- 20 fighters, based on serial numbers seen at the 2022 Zhuhai Air Show.
As of April 2022, the US has 450 F- 35s but China’s J- 20 production is gaining speed. China’s manufacturing methods and jet engine technology have made the J-20 more quickly available, with China using world-class pulsating production lines to speed up fighter deliveries.
In September 2022, Asia Times reported that China’s fighter force may have already surpassed the US in the Pacific. In the Pacific, the US reportedly has 13 fighter squadrons, compared to the current 11 that are needed. Meanwhile, only three out of eight US fighter squadrons are transitioning to newer aircraft, resulting in a smaller, older and less capable fighter force.  ,
China’s five theater commands organized into seven to ten fighter brigades, with three to six fighter groups each having 30 to 50 aircraft, are estimated to have 1,800 fighters under its purported ownership.
Ideally, the US must maintain 134 modernized, well- equipped fighter squadrons and a production rate of 72 fighters per year to maintain combat capability while retiring older aircraft.
As to how America’s F- 35 compares with China’s J- 35, Joseph Trevithick notes in a July 2022 The Warzone article that the J- 35 has a F- 35- like front opening, an internally bowed canopy with an integral bulkhead at the rear and a rear canopy configuration similar to F- 35A and F- 35C variants.
Trevithick points out that the J-35’s canopy blends more evenly with the airframe toward its rear and is less “bubbled.”
He makes note of the F-35, which is arguably the J-35’s prototype, which has a canopy configuration as a result of a design choice to accommodate the lift fan and other distinctive features on the F-35B variant with short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL ).
He also points out that the J-35 may have domestically produced WS-21 engines with serrated exhausts to reduce the ship’s heat signature and other adaptations for a maritime setting.
In a November 2023 article for The National Interest ( TNI), Brent Eastwood points out that the two stealth fighters would likely square off in a Taiwan Strait conflict.
Eastwood claims that the F-25 has better stealth qualities than the J-20, with the latter having to wait until a missile lock before seeing the former. However, he points out that while the J- 20 is faster than the F- 35, the Chinese jet does not have a cannon while the American one has better stealth characteristics.
He makes the observation that pilot skill could determine a dogfight’s outcome.