Lockheed Martin and German officials unveiled Germany’s first F-35A Lightning II at the company’s Fort Worth, Texas, production site on 18 September, with the aircraft formally handed over at a ceremony attended by senior German and US defence figures. The jet is the first of 35 F-35As ordered by Berlin and will support pilot and maintenance training in the United States before deliveries begin in Germany later.
The initial aircraft are expected to remain in the US for training, with activity centred at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas. First in-country deliveries to Germany are expected in late 2027, while deliveries are scheduled to continue through 2029. Berlin has selected the F-35 to replace part of its Tornado fleet and to strengthen NATO interoperability through fifth-generation combat-aircraft operations.
The rollout places Germany among the European operators of the stealth fighter and expands a fleet built around a multinational training and support model. German crews will use the aircraft in the US before the first jets enter service at home, allowing the Luftwaffe to build experience before the type arrives in country.