Pentagon’s record $1.5 trillion budget request includes boosts for F-35, F-15EX and more

Pentagon’s record .5 trillion budget request includes boosts for F-35, F-15EX and more

The largest defense budget request in U.S. history, nearly $500 billion more than 2026, will accelerate procurement of key platforms and increase funding for headline projects like Golden Dome.

The Department of Defense’s fiscal year 2027 budget request was released at a press conference led by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon on April 21, 2026.

“The previous administration underfunded the U.S. military, which is already underfunded by a budget that accounts for more than a third of global military spending,” Hegseth said. “The previous administration underinvested in our military and our adversaries grew stronger and more dangerous, so we are now changing the game. This budget will build our arsenal without compromising readiness to ensure we remain the world’s leading fighting force, protecting our homeland, and through the power of today and the world.” “It creates peace,” he said. future.”

In an official press release, the Department of Defense claims that approximately 52% of the FY2027 budget request was used to procure new equipment and munitions. Total requested spending represents a 42% increase over the fiscal year 2026 budget.

Below we look at some of the aviation-related parts of the proposal.

air power

$102.2 billion of the request is focused on air power through investments in fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-generation fighter aircraft and various support platforms.

The biggest increase compared to 2026 is for the F-35 Lightning II, with requests for the 47 airframes nearly doubling to 85 last year. This represents an investment of $21.4 billion and includes all three variants of the aircraft. The widespread use and apparent strong performance of the F-35 in Operations Epic Fury, Southern Spear, and Absolute Resolve likely accelerated procurement and strengthened the desire to replace existing aircraft types such as the F-15E Strike Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon.

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An F-35C Lightning II on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, March 3, 2026, with various air-to-ground weapons in the foreground. Weapons include JDAM, AGM-84K SLAM-ER and AGM-114 Hellfire guided missiles. (Image source: U.S. Navy photo)

For the U.S. Air Force, the budget includes 38 F-35As. The U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps are planning 37 new F-35Cs for aircraft carrier operations and 10 F-35Bs for the U.S. Marine Corps’ Gator Navy.

Acting Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) Jules W. Hurst III argued that previous budgets had underfunded F-35 spare parts and that the FY2027 budget request would begin to correct that.

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An F-15EX Eagle II from the 40th Flight Test Squadron, 96th Test Wing, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, flies in formation during an aerial refueling operation over Northern California. (Image credit: Air Force photo by Ethan Wagner)

The modest increase in annual procurement of the F-15EX Eagle II is intended to further relieve pressure on existing aircraft types while leveraging some of the unique capabilities the aircraft brings to the table. Although the F-15EX lacks the F-35’s stealth capabilities, the jet’s large external payload was useful for carrying physically larger munitions as well as a higher number of munitions per sortie.

In addition to the budget request itself, it has been confirmed that the Air Force plans to significantly increase its overall purchase of the Eagle II. A total of 267 F-15EX aircraft are currently planned for procurement, allowing the Eagle II to begin replacing the F-15E Strike Eagle and older air superiority-focused F-15C/D Eagle fleets. This expansion was previously hinted at in a report published last year.

The reduced spending on the B-21 Raider reflects the current status of the program, with flight testing continuing as planned with limited rate production. While the B-21 continues its journey toward operational service at sufficient levels of delivery, funding continues to be allocated for upgrades to the B-1B Lancer and B-2 Spirit bombers scheduled to be replaced. Although not scheduled for replacement with the B-21, funding is also planned to enable upgrades to the B-52 Stratofortress, including the much-anticipated replacement of its Pratt & Whitney TF33 turbofan engines with eight Rolls-Royce F130s.

The Pentagon considers the B-21 a “top priority,” a key capability that is part of the U.S. Air Force’s conventional air force and an important part of the U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) nuclear trio.

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A B-21 Raider performs a mid-air refueling with a KC-135 Stratotanker. (Image source: U.S. Air Force)

After numerous reports of high pressure on the U.S. military to stockpile advanced anti-ship weapons during the Iran conflict, the budget proposes the procurement of 821 AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Missiles (JASSM) and 333 AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASM). 1,134 Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) and 785 BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missiles (TLAM) are also proposed for acquisition.

An initial purchase of 1,000 aircraft is also proposed under the planned Family of Affordable Mass Missiles (FAMM) program.

Missile and air defense

Golden Dome, described in budget request literature as the nation’s premier initiative to deter and defeat advanced missile threats, is proposed to receive $17.9 billion in funding in fiscal year 2027. Contract recipients for the program have not yet been publicly announced, sources have previously said. Reuters Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Anduril are among the companies awarded a number of small, initial contracts.

Funding proposals for the U.S. Space Force’s resilient missile warning and tracking program, including platforms in ground, low Earth orbit (LEO), and medium Earth orbit (MEO), have more than doubled. These platforms will operate in conjunction with the Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (NG-OPIR) satellite constellation, which replaces the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS), to provide global detection and tracking capabilities for missiles and hypersonic glide vehicles. The first NG-OPIR satellite will be launched soon.

Perhaps reflecting the vast number of air defense weapons expended during Operation Epic Fury, the budget request includes a proposal to purchase more than 2,000 anti-aircraft missiles. These include 504 missiles of the Standard Missile (SM) family, 494 AIM-120 AMRAAMs, 405 PAC-3 missiles for Patriot anti-aircraft batteries, 306 AIM-9X Sidewinders, 290 RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (ESSM), 116 RIM-116 rolling airframe missiles, and interceptors for Terminal High. Includes 62 gigabytes. High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.

drone war

Two unmanned platforms are listed in the Major Air Power Programs section of the budget proposal. One of them is the MQ-25 Stingray, which is being developed for deployment as an aerial refueling aircraft aboard U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. Recently, proposals have also emerged to equip aircraft with weapons. Three MQ-25s are scheduled to be procured in FY2027, with the most recent Initial Operational Capability (IOC) achievement date expected to be near the end of that fiscal year.

Back in the budget after some gaps in procurement, the Pentagon proposes to procure five new MQ-9 Reaper aircraft. Previous requests have focused on the Reaper’s maintenance and upgrade path rather than fleet expansion, but the recent conflict has resulted in significant losses to the fleet, which could leave the U.S. military short of one of its most widely used intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and precision strike platforms.

The Pentagon also plans to continue investing in one-way attack drone platforms, such as the Low Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS), and smaller drones for ISR purposes. It also proposed $20.6 billion in funding for counter-drone technology as the United States continues to develop new ways to combat this new threat.

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