A group of Republican senators recently urged President Donald Trump to fully fund the F-35 fighter jet as opposed to investing in F-15X.
“We are extremely concerned that, over the last few years, the DoD (Department of Defense) has underfunded the F-35 Program and relied on Congress to fund increases in production, sustainment, and modernization. In order to meet the overmatch and lethality goals laid out in the National Security Strategy, the DoD needs to make these investments in the F-35 to affordably deliver and operate this fifth-generation fighter fleet. The F-35 is the most affordable, lethal, and survivable air dominance fighter, and now is the time to double down on the program,” Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and John Cornyn (R-TX), Susan Collins (R-ME), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) wrote in a letter to Trump.
They urged Trump to support the current funding schedule for the F-35 as opposed to investing in the “outdated, fourth-generation” F-15X.
“In order to ensure the United States servicemembers are equipped with the most lethal aircraft capable of operating in the modern battlefield, we request your support and the support of the DoD in investing our defense funds in proven fifth-generation technology – like the F-35 – rather than technology that will be outdated before it even rolls off the production line,” they added.