Pentagon budget 2025: US Navy requests USD16.6 billion to procure 75 a…

An F-35 launches off the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) in 2016. The US Navy intends to purchase 13 F-35Cs in FY 2025. (US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kris R Lindstrom)

The US Navy (USN) has requested USD16.6 billion in its fiscal year (FY) 2025 presidential budget request, intended to purchase 75 aircraft, down from USD17.3 billion in FY 2024.

The service intends to purchase 26 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters: 13 short take-off and vertical landing B-models for the US Marine Corps (USMC) and 13 carrier-capable C-models for the USN. The B-models are intended to replace the Boeing AV-8B as the USMC's lone ship-based fixed-wing strike fighter, while the Cs are to augment the larger carrier-based fleet of Boeing F/A-18E/Fs.

In the FY 2024 request, the navy is seeking 16 B-models and 19 Cs. The USN intends to purchase a further 71 of each model through FY 2029, a buy staggered to “ensure continued development of Block 4 capabilities”, according to USN budget documents. Deliveries of F-35s are currently suspended pending approval of Technology Refresh 3 (TR3), which includes a new computer processor and other upgrades to lay the groundwork for Block 4.

The largest numerical purchase is 27 Beechcraft T-54 Multi-Engine Training System (METS) aircraft; FY 2025 marks the final year the navy intends to purchase the aircraft. The T-54 is a derivative of the Beechcraft King Air and replaces an older King Air variant designated T-44 in USN service as its primary multi-engine training aircraft.