What are the most expensive aircraft programs for the US military in 2025 – and are they all with the United States Air Force ? While the Air Force dominates the five top programs it doesn’t dominate the top 10 – after all, the Navy/Marines possess what is widely considered the world’s second most powerful air force and the United States Army boasts the most formidable helicopter fleet in the world
The following information is based on the US DoD’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request Overview. The Air Force’s B-21 Raider (at $5.3) should be on this list (where it would rank second), but it is omitted as the DoD listed it under “Missile Defense/Nuclear Deterrent” and not “Aircraft.
F-15EX Strike Eagle II
$1.9 billion to be spent on Strike Eagles
| Service branch: | Air Force |
|---|---|
| Purchase number: | 18 |
| Role: | Air superitory/multirole fighter |
At $1.9 billion in requested funds, the Air Forces’ F-15EX Strike Eagle II is the fifth most expensive aircraft in the US military for Fiscal Year 2025 (the Air Force is requesting to purchase 18 F-15EXs, down from 24 in 2024). The F-15EX is basically an all-new Eagle with completely modernized avionics and more—its expected service life is also a whopping 20,000 flight hours. The F-15EX is arguably second (or third) only to the F-22 Raptor (and F-35 Lightning II) in an air superiority role.
The F-15EX only just outranks the Navy’s Super Hornet (with $1.8 billion in requested FY 2025 funds) and the Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (aka Bell V-280 Valor tiltrotor) at $1.3 billion. Other notable aircraft programs are the Army’s Black Hawk helicopter ($0.8 billion), the Navy’s MQ-25 Stingray tanker drone ($0.9 billion), the Navy’s MQ-4 Triton maritime patrol drone ($0.8 billion), and the Army’s AH–64E Apache attack helicopter ($0.7 billion). Missing from the list are the Navy’s F/A-XX fighter (over one billion in R&D) and the Air Force’s B-21 Raider.
CH-53K King Stallion Helicopter
$2.7 billion to be spent on King Stallions
| Service branch: | Marine Corps |
|---|---|
| Purchase number: | 19 |
| Role: | Heavy lift marine helicopter |
KC-46A Pegasus
$3.0 billion to be spent on Pegasus tankers
| Service branch: | Air Force |
|---|---|
| Purchase number: | 15 |
| Role: | Aerial refueling tanker |
The Air Force’s requested funding for KC-46A Pegasus tankers remains unchanged from 2025 ($3.0 billion for 15 tankers). KC-46As are becoming one of the mainstays of Air Force aerial refueling as they gradually replace aging KC-10 Extenders and KC-135 Stratotankers. They are based on the Boeing 737 Next Generation airliner and were first delivered to the Air Force in 2025.
The Air Force places a huge emphasis on its tankers as these are critical to the US ability to project airpower around the world. When it comes to tanker fleets, there really is the US and the rest ( the US possesses around 75% of the world’s tankers ). The Air Force plans to acquire 179 Pegasus tankers by 2027.
NGAD Next Generation Air Dominance fighter
$3.3 billion to be spent on NGAD sixth-gen fighter
| Service branch: | Air Force |
|---|---|
| Purchase number | 0 (R&D stage) |
| Role: | Air dominance |
The Air Force is currently taking a pause in the development of its sixth-generation NGAD fighter jet as it decides if it can afford the jet, what capabilities it should have, and what its role as a “system of systems” will be fighting networked with collaborative combat aircraft (aka advanced loyal wingman drones).
Currently, the Air Force is planning for NGAD to enter service around 2030, and it plans to acquire around 200 of the sixth-generation fighter jets (along with around 1,000 advanced loyal wingman drones). However, there appears to be a lot of uncertainty in the program. Regardless of whether the Air Force pursues a manned fighter or not, the loyal wingman drone component is powering ahead.
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
$12.4 billion to be spent on the F-35 fifth-gen fighter
| Service branch: | Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps |
|---|---|
| Purchase number: | 68 |
| Role: | Multirole stealth fighter |
It should come as little surprise that the F-35 Lightning II fighter program (now in full swing) is the most expensive program. It is also more like three programs as the three variants (F-35A, F-35B, and F-35C) for the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy are bundled together. The requested funding is $12.4 billion for 68 aircraft of all types.
What is the most expensive military plane manufactured in America? It’s the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber costing at $737 million. Designed to carry nuclear arsenal deep in enemy territory, the plane is virtually undetected by radar, infrared and electromagnetic equipment. It’s more than twice as expensive as the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter, which is price at $350 million. Here’s our updated list of the most expensive military planes manufactured in America for 2025.
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