How much rare earths does an F-35 really contain?
For more than a decade, defense analysts, rare earth investors, congressional testimony and even some official DoD publications have cited a single eye-popping number: each F-35 Lightning II requires approximately 920 lbs (≈417 kg) of rare earth materials.
The figure originates from a single September 2012 Department of Defense internal study on REE recycling feasibility that was submitted to Congress but has never been publicly released.
It appears only as a one-sentence reference in the December 2013 Congressional Research Service report (R41744) from which it has morphed into a widely cited conventional wisdom despite an utter lack of proof. No methodology, no bill-of-materials breakdown, no supporting data tables and no raw calculations have ever been disclosed.
