By Garrett Reim2021-02-19T23:39:00+00:00 Lockheed Martin is defending the value of the F-35 stealth fighter as the US Air Force (USAF) is for the second time in two years considering buying a cheaper fourth-generation fighter for its fleet recapitalisation plans. Instead of exclusively buying the F-35, as had long been its plan, the service is studying a future fighter fleet that might include new-build Lockheed F-16s or possibly a clean-sheet 4.5th-generation fighter, said USAF chief of staff General Charles Brown on 17 February. The USAF first strayed from its stealth aircraft buying plan in 2020 when it started buying the Boeing F-15EX to replace the F-15C. The F-35’s high-operating costs were one reason it was forgone.