Lockheed Martin handed over Germany’s first F-35A Lightning II in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday, with Defence Minister Boris Pistorius attending the ceremony. The aircraft is the first of 35 F-35A fighters ordered by Berlin for about ten billion euros and will start a new Luftwaffe phase as it replaces the ageing Tornado fleet.
The aircraft, marked 35+01, will remain in the United States initially for pilot and technician training. Early training is set to centre on Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas, where German crews will begin work ahead of the first operational aircraft arriving in Germany from 2027. Full deliveries are expected to continue through 2029.
The programme covers weapons, training and support, and Rheinmetall is involved in producing fuselage centre sections in Germany. Pistorius described the F-35 as the start of a new era for the Luftwaffe, underlining the aircraft’s role in Germany’s long-term modernisation plan.