June 11 (Reuters) - The Pentagon is scaling back by half

its request to Congress for the U.S. Air Force's Lockheed Martin

F-35 jets, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday.

A U.S. Defense Department procurement request document sent

to Capitol Hill this week asked for 24 of the planes, down from

48 that were forecast last year, the report said.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Lockheed

Martin ( LMT ) and the Department of Defense did not respond to requests

for comment outside regular business hours.

The Air Force now plans to seek $3.5 billion for the F-35

aircraft, and another $531 million for advance procurement of

materials for it, the report said.

The Pentagon has also requested 12 of the Navy's carrier

version of the F-35, lower than the 17 Congress approved for

this fiscal year, while the Marines would also see a reduction

of two from this year's funding, the report added.

In May, Lockheed Martin's ( LMT ) finance chief said the firm

expects to be awarded a finalized contract on its F-35 jets,

which have been beset by delays related to a technology upgrade.

The defense contractor delivered a total of 110 F-35 fighter

jets to the United States and its allies in 2024. Lockheed's

F-35 program accounts for around 30% of the company's revenue.