A service committee deliberated for ten months before recommending the plane, though government approval is still required before a contract can be signed.
New facilities at a production plant in the far East are meant to bring aircraft numbers up, as Ukrainian forces reportedly damaged two planes in June.
Money for space "is going to need to double or triple over time,” the Air Force secretary said in an interview, with a resilient architecture top of mind.
It's the latest deployment extension of a Navy aircraft carrier in the Middle East, as concerns continue over the potential of a regional war erupting.
Ukrainian air defenders have become more successful in shooting down the Iranian-designed drones, according to data compiled by analyst Federico Borsari.