Laura Loomer, the far-right activist who has a direct line to President Donald Trump, criticized Lockheed Martin’s F-35 program over the weekend, decrying the US defense giant as “woke” and lashing out against the expensive stealth aircraft.
In a lengthy post on X, Loomer suggested Lockheed Martin is delivering F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters that “are simply not ready for combat.”
“The F-35 program, one of the most expensive weapons programs in history, is plagued by delays, defects, & downright incompetence,” she wrote Saturday. She said the US Air Force is accepting jets that lack “functional” radar systems, without offering evidence.
She also claimed that Lockheed is “increasingly obsessed with pushing a woke agenda.” Like many other US defense contractors, Lockheed scrapped its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in January after Trump returned to the White House.
The $2 trillion F-35 program is an appealing target for activists and officials seeking to slash government spending, and it has a well-documented list of problems. The Pentagon’s top weapons tester said earlier this year that the program had problems delivering functional software and had fallen behind schedule to test upgraded mission systems.
Despite the issues, the F-35 is fast becoming the centerpiece of US air superiority fighters; the Pentagon approved full-rate production a year ago and plans to buy nearly 2,500 of the stealth fighters. The US military and its allies widely consider it one of the world’s top fighter aircraft.
US Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nicholas Rupiper
Lockheed has described the F-35’s AN/APG-81 active electronically scanned array radar as “the most capable in the world.” Northrop Grumman, which manufactures the system, called it the “cornerstone” of the jet’s advanced sensor suite.
Loomer criticized the F-35 program’s software development, saying some systems are behind schedule, and called out its “deteriorating” stealth paneling capabilities. She cited various media reports to support her case.
The F-35 is the world’s most expensive weapons program, with an estimated lifetime cost of over $2 trillion. Other Trump allies, like Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, have attacked the aircraft as essentially obsolete. Loomer’s attack was in some ways the most thorough.
“This is government and taxpayer WASTE on an unimaginable scale, & it’s coming out of our pockets!” wrote Loomer, whose opinion swayed Trump to fire the NSA director in early April.
“The F-35 is the cornerstone of the battlespace for 20 allied nations, enabling peace through strength in the 21st century,” a Lockheed spokesperson told Business Insider. “It is combat proven, offers the most advanced capability and technology, and is the most affordable option to ensure the US and allies remain ahead of emerging threats.”
Loomer could not be reached for additional comment.
US Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jack Rodgers
The F-35 is constantly being upgraded and reworked to improve its capabilities. It is widely recognized as the world’s top fifth-generation fighter, and is in service with militaries in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Right now, no US adversary has a comparable platform.
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Musk, who criticised Lockheed in the fall, responded to Loomer on Saturday and wrote in a brief post on X: “Crewed aircraft will be destroyed instantly by cheap drone swarms.”
Musk made similar comments last year about the F-35’s survivability and how drones would make a better alternative. However, airpower experts pushed back on this and said the technology isn’t quite there yet.
Musk’s DOGE was tasked with eliminating government waste, and defense spending is a big target. Loomer singled out the Tesla CEO in her post and suggested that he — and Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — investigate the F-35 program.