Nearly a quarter century after the Pentagon awarded Lockheed Martin the contract to develop the Joint Strike Fighter Program into the F-35, the government finally admitted the jet will never live up to Lockheed’s ambitious promises — used to sell the $2 trillion boondoggle to nearly 20 countries around the world.
“The program plans to reduce the scope of Block 4 to deliver capabilities to the warfighter at a more predictable pace than in the past.”
The casual reader will be forgiven for possibly glossing over the passage because of its anodyne wording. But the statement is a profound admission that the F-35 will never meet the capability goals set for the program. “Reduce the scope of Block 4” means that program officials are forgoing planned combat capabilities for the jets.
Block 4 is the term to describe ongoing design work for the program. It began in 2019 and was termed as the program’s “modernization” phase. In reality, Block 4 is just a continuation of the program’s initial development process. Officials were unable to complete the F-35’s basic design within the program’s initial budget and schedule. Rather than making that embarrassing admission and requesting more time and money from Congress, Pentagon officials claimed the initial development process was complete (it was not) and they were moving on to “modernization.” What they really did was simply reclassify initial development work with a fancy rebrand.
So, when program officials say they plan to “reduce the scope of Block 4,” they are saying the F-35 will not have all the combat capabilities that were supposed to be a part of the original design.
Well not surprising for a nation that couldn’t up production of 155mm artillery shells to supply Ukraine. Luckily the Ukraine improvised with drones.
Spain & Switzerland have cancelled f-35 buys. Canada, Portugal, Turkey & Germany ate considering cancelling their orders.
Well there will be some that say that we will learn from the F-35 debacle. I don’t think so. We attempted an all-purpose aircraft back in the 1970’s. The f-111. It failed. And we repeated with the f-35.
But the failure is an opportunity. The Pentagon is proposing to halve its planned F-35 buy and boost funding for the sixth-gen F-47 fighter jet—but many of its 2026 budget-proposal details hinge on the reconciliation legislation still being debated on Capitol Hill.
LOL… I’ve been ruffling feathers on this topic for many many years. When it first rolled out there were so many maintenance issues. I have seen some recent articles saying they are becoming slightly more reliable, but that is only slightly and WE spent a LOT of money on this crap.
Why don’t we try to recover some of this money? More accountability…you know right after the Pentagon passes an audit…sigh.
The WS-19 engine for China’s J-35 fighter is in testing, with first public reports suggesting it’s designed to provide significantly more thrust than the WS-13 and WS-21 engines on earlier J-35 prototypes, but it may not be in widespread production for operational service yet. While the J-35 aircraft itself has entered service, the WS-19 engine is expected to be the definitive, more powerful engine for the aircraft but is still undergoing testing and integration.
WS-19 Engine Status
Under Development & Testing:
The WS-19 is a key, advanced engine intended for the J-35, but it is still undergoing testing to meet its full performance and reliability requirements.
Improved Thrust:
It is expected to offer a significant increase in thrust compared to the interim WS-13 and WS-21 engines used on earlier J-35 prototypes.
Critical for Operational Readiness:
The engine’s development is critical for the J-35 to achieve its full potential and for the aircraft to be considered truly combat-ready.
J-35 and Engine Relationship
Early Prototypes:
Early J-35 prototypes were fitted with less powerful engines like the WS-13 and WS-21, which were not adequate for the heavier, redesigned airframe.
Planned for Deployment:
The J-35, powered by the more advanced WS-19 engine, is intended to be a crucial component of China’s growing aircraft carrier fleet.
Future of the Aircraft:
The full operational capability and performance of the J-35 will depend on the successful development and integration of the WS-19 engine.
I question China’s ability to make adequate amounts of aircraft engines.
And as of now China’s military engines appear to be inferior to US military engines.
According to a report by The New York Times, the U.S. government halted the sale of the LEAP-1C engines—jointly developed by U.S. firm GE Aerospace and France’s Safran through their CFM International partnership—as part of a broader response to China’s restrictions on rare earth exports to the United States.
The above is causing havoc in China commercial airline production. As of May 28, 2025, the C919 has been in commercial operation for two years, with only 18 aircraft currently flying under carriers such as Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern. COMAC had aimed to ramp up production to 50 aircraft per year by 2025 and exceed 120 annually by 2028. That goal now appears to be at risk.
The China aircraft engine supply gives Boeing & Airbus a leg up on China sales.
By emphasizing their ability to fulfill orders on schedule, these Western manufacturers could further consolidate their dominance in the Chinese market, complicating Comac’s efforts to establish the C919 as a viable alternative.