The F-35’s future: Can the fifth-gen fighter withstand political, technological headwinds? [Video]

On the global market, the F-35 has been an unquestioned success, winning every competition it has entered, with a number of countries still eager to join the program. By the end of its official production plans, there could be more than 3,000 of the fifth-gen fighters slicing through the sky over nearly two dozen countries.

And yet, there are some challenges on the horizon. A geopolitical situation which could hurt sales abroad. Other priorities for the Pentagon’s budget. And new, sixth-gen fighter programs that are expected to come online in the next decade.

How much will this all impact the market for the F-35? In this final segment from our roundtable, Breaking Defense’s Michael Marrow, Valerie Insinna and Aaron Mehta, along with analyst JJ Gertler, discuss where the F-35’s market is, and where it may be going.

Want to catch up on the rest of the conversation? Make sure to check out parts one, two and three of the series:

• Part 1: The past, present and future of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
• Part 2: How power and cooling could define the F-35’s next era
• Part 3: What new weapons, systems are coming to the stealth fighter?