FUNDING: Air Force Risks Losing Third of F-35s If Upkeep Costs Aren’t Cut. “The U.S. Air Force may have to cut its purchases of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 by a third if it can’t find ways to reduce operations and support costs by as much as 38 percent over a decade, according to an internal analysis. The shortfall would force the service to subtract 590 of the fighter jets from the 1,763 it plans to order.”

Simply put, that’s not enough airframes.