F-35 Deliveries & Inventory: Which Countries Operate It, Why Was Türkiye Expelled? (2026)

The F-35 Lightning II is a fifth-generation fighter combining air superiority, strike against land/sea targets, reconnaissance and electronic warfare in one platform. It stands out for its low observability (stealth), advanced sensor fusion and network-centric operation with allied forces.

It is built in three variants: the conventional F-35A, the short-takeoff/vertical-landing F-35B, and the carrier-borne F-35C. This versatility made the F-35 the common backbone of NATO and allied air forces.

The F-35 has become the Western world’s common fighter. The table summarises the main operators and their status per open sources.

The USA is the largest operator; the jet also serves in customized versions like Israel’s F-35I ‘Adir’. Türkiye is the only country expelled from the program despite being a production partner.

The F-35 program is the peak of allied fighter production: a record 191 jets were delivered in 2025 and the total fleet reached about 1,300. Lockheed Martin says production is several times the combined output of all other allied fighters.

The program logged its largest production batch with the Lots 18-19 contract for 296 jets (about $24bn). This scale places the F-35 at the center of Western air power for decades.

Türkiye was a Level-3 partner in the F-35 program; firms such as TAI (TUSAŞ) produced hundreds of the jet’s parts, including fuselage sections. Türkiye ordered 100 F-35A and paid about $1.4bn; six jets were even built for it.

But after Türkiye bought the Russian S-400 in 2017, the US expelled it from the program in July 2019; the built jets were not delivered and were stored in the US for years. In response, Türkiye ordered 44 Eurofighter Typhoons, pursued F-16 modernization, and accelerated its indigenous KAAN program. The F-35 crisis is the starkest example of why Türkiye builds its own 5th-generation fighter.

• F-35A — conventional takeoff/landing (land bases; most produced)
• F-35B — short takeoff/vertical landing (UK, Italy, ships)
• F-35C — carrier variant (US Navy)

Türkiye’s counterpart to the F-35 is the indigenous fifth-generation fighter KAAN. KAAN first flew in 2024 and is planned for delivery to the Turkish Air Force from 2028. The F-35 is single-engine while KAAN is twin-engine, following a different design philosophy.

Türkiye’s expulsion from the F-35 raised the strategic importance of indigenous programs like KAAN and HÜRJET. The F-35 dossier is thus also part of the story of Turkish aerospace independence.

The F-35’s prime manufacturer is US-based Lockheed Martin; the engine is from Pratt & Whitney (F135), with systems from partners such as Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems.

The program relies on an international division of labor with nine founding partner nations and many customers. Türkiye was part of this network before being removed — a rare example of the strategic consequences of being cut from a supply chain.

The F-35 is the core platform that will define Western air superiority for decades. Its broad operator network, shared logistics and data-sharing unite NATO air power in a single ecosystem.

For Türkiye, the F-35 symbolizes both a missed opportunity and the birth of the will for an indigenous fighter. KAAN’s success will rewrite Türkiye’s story in future updates of this dossier.

Beyond the USA, more than 19 countries operate or have ordered the F-35, including the UK, Italy, Israel, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Poland, Germany, Switzerland, Romania, Czechia, Greece, Canada and Singapore.

By end-2025, about 1,300 F-35 had been delivered, with production at roughly 190 per year. The Lots 18-19 contract covers 296 jets.

Türkiye was expelled from the F-35 program in July 2019 for buying the Russian S-400 air defense system. Türkiye had ordered 100 F-35A and paid about $1.4bn; six jets built for it were never delivered.

Türkiye ordered 44 Eurofighter Typhoons, pursued F-16 modernization, and accelerated its indigenous 5th-generation fighter, KAAN.

Three: the conventional F-35A, the short-takeoff/vertical-landing F-35B (e.g. UK, carriers), and the carrier-borne F-35C.

Türkiye’s indigenous 5th-generation fighter KAAN is being developed as an alternative; it first flew in 2024, with deliveries targeted from 2028.