Presentation short abstract

In this exploratory paper, the F-35 fighter jet programme is read from a perspective of the earth, or the extractive and contaminating processes at the base of the world’s largest weapons project.

Presentation long abstract

Each F-35 is made with ~15,000 tonnes of aluminium, steel, and titanium, as well as multiple rare earth and technology-critical elements that are crucial to its military capacities. Beryllium, tantalum, gallium, and other elements—the F-35 has been labelled a “flying periodic table” (Abraham 2015, 168)—make higher altitudes and speeds possible, they increase stealth and navigational capacities, and they power advanced targeting and precision software. They also connect the hardwares and capacities of advanced militaries with a dispersed geography of extraction and minerals processing (see Rubaii et al. 2025). From here, raw materials further disperse into networks of manufacturing, comprised weapons companies and their various subsidiaries, subcontractors, and sub-subcontractors. In this exploratory paper, the F-35 fighter jet programme is read from a perspective of the earth, or the extractive and contaminating processes at the base of the world’s largest weapons project. By tracing lines of supply and complicity, the paper makes connections between war’s effects on environments and public health at sites of extraction (e.g., the DRC) and sites of deployment (e.g., Gaza).