Friday, March 29, 2024

F-35 global fighter fleet reaches 400,000 flight hours

The F-35 Lightning II fifth-generation stealth fighter global fleet has reached an outstanding milestone of 400,000 flight hours. 

“This milestone is a testament to the dedicated work of the joint government, military and industry teams sustaining, maintaining, operating and flying F-35s around the globe,” said Bridget Lauderdale, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 program. “With every delivery and every flight hour, the enterprise gets more mature and effective and we are laser focused on continuing to deliver the most capable, available and affordable 5th Generation fighter aircraft.”

The 5th Generation F-35 is in the fight today and its advanced capabilities continue to transform the way our men and women in uniform conduct operations around the globe. It is the most advanced node in a 21st century warfare network-centric architecture connecting assets in the battlespace, boosting effectiveness and enabling rapid decision-making, giving our pilots an advantage against any adversary and enabling them to execute their mission and come home safe.

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More than 165,000 flight hours – about 41% of the total – were flown by operational and combat-coded F-35s.

To date, the F-35 operates from 21 bases worldwide, with nine nations operating F-35s on their home soil. There are more than 655 F-35s in service today, with more than 1,380 pilots and 10,670 maintainers trained on the aircraft.

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Executive Editor

About author:

Colton Jones
Colton Jones
Colton Jones is the deputy editor of Defence Blog. He is a US-based journalist, writer and publisher who specializes in the defense industry in North America and Europe. He has written about emerging technology in military magazines and elsewhere. He is a former Air Force airmen and served at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

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