The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter seems to be prevailing.
The F-35 "Panther" is seeing success despite beingset by technological and procurement difficulties. Some 730 F-35s have entered service with 14 military services across 10 countries.
Two high-profile customers decided to buy the F-35 over the last year. Switzerland agreed to purchase 36 F-35s in order to replace a fleet of old F-5s and F/A-18s. The deal to purchase the Gripen fighters from Sweden failed to gain a majority in a referendum.
The second customer was Finland, which agreed to purchase 64 F-35s to replace its existing inventory of F/A-18s. We have a lot of information about the decision to acquire the Panther.
The Utah Test and Training Range has F-35As in formation.
R. Nial Bradshaw is a US Air Force member.
The F-35 is America's Belt and Road, a massive financial, technical, and military project that has now embraced dozens of countries.
The F-35 is an AUKUS, just on a truly multinational scale. The F-35B fell off a Royal Navy aircraft carrier last month, but the aircraft is still moving forward. The F-35 has won in almost every open fighter competition.
The F-35 is more modern than its competitors in the West, which include the F-15 Eagle, Eurofighter Typhoon, and F/A-18 Hornet. The youngest of the fighters entered service before the F-35.
None of the competitor aircraft have stealth or integrated sensor capabilities that are comparable to the F-35.
The popularity of the F-35 is influenced by the fact that the United States has adopted it. The F-35 is operated by three different US services, suggesting that it will last for some time and that customers will be able to upgrade their weapons systems.
Switzerland and Finland are not bound to Washington by any treaty obligations. Both countries have previously operated US-built aircraft, but they have not kept Washington at a distance. Both of them have agreed to become dependent on the US industry and the direction of the winds.
The George Washington is in the Atlantic Ocean.
The US Navy.
The F-35 may continue to be a success in the future. Spain's attitude towards the F-35 is confused and uncertain, with denials of interest followed by denials of interest. Adding interest in Central and Eastern European countries may be stimulated by Poland's decision to acquire the F-35.
The United States will refuse to sell the F-35 to countries that do not abide by certain obligations. The US removed Turkey from the F-35 project because Ankara insisted on acquiring the S-400 air-defense system from Russia. India's decision to acquire the S-400 will probably exclude it from consideration as an F-35 export target.
The prospects for sales in the Middle East beyond Israel don't seem particularly bright, and concerns over espionage may quash the acquisition of F-35s by the United Arab Emirates.
Canada had a plan in place to acquire the F-35 in 2015, but decided to re-open bidding after the victory of Trudeau. Trudeau ran against the F-35 buy in his first election, and had a hard time with the process of replacing Canada's aging fleet of F/A-18s.
There is little doubt that the Trudeau government has resisted and delayed an open competition because it believes that the F-35 will win easily. Canada is in an awkward position since eight of NATO's members have acquired or will acquire the F-35.
A student pilot climbs into an F-35 at a base.
The US Air Force photo is of Staff Sgt. Jensen Stidham.
The F-35 has had its share of problems. It has become a cultural and political artifact. The F-35s troubles have played out under the glare of social media and in a deeply partisan political environment.
The F-16, for example, was disowned by its progenitors before it even entered service in the US armed forces.
The F-35 program has created a reality in which it is clearly the best choice for a certain group of customers. Domestic and international lobbying is a part of the political strategy for the success of the aircraft. The aircraft becomes more attractive as the number of customers increases.
The dominance of the F-35 may stretch far into the future since the Next Generation fighter project may be poorly structured for export pre-eminence.
Dr. Robert Farley is a senior lecturer at the University of Kentucky. "Grounded: The Case for Abolishing the United States Air Force" is one of the books written by Farley.
