$323B for 2,443 Fighter Jets

I picked up this story from Gizmodo and was wondering.  How exactly are we able to spurge on things like this, when we a deficit that reaching for the sky?

“The USAF’s fighter from the future made its first air show flight over the weekend, wowing audiences at Andrews’ Air Force Base. Get a good look! You paid for ’em—the F-35 is the most expensive military program ever. The Pentagon’s plan is to buy 2,443 of them—prized for their stealth capabilities—from Lockheed Martin, at a cool $323 billion. Lookin’ good, dudes.”

Here is a novel idea, if it going to cost us this much to be prepare or even protect ourselves, we might has well pay people to be our friends.  And I know we are already doing that with a few countries.