First Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II delivered to Luke Air Force Base
NewsMarch 17, 2014
GLENDALE, AZ. The first Lockheed Martin-built F-35 Lightning II has been delivered to Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, AZ. The F-35A Conventional Takeoff and Landing (CTOL) variant, known as LF 5030, is the first of many F-35As scheduled for delivery to the base.
The F-35 Lightning II is a 5th generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter agility and speed, advanced sustainment, fully fused sensor information, and network-enabled operations.
"The F-35 Lightning II represents the future of tactical aviation for the United States and our allies," says U.S. Air Force Gen. Robin Rand, Commander of Air Education and Training Command for Randolph Air Force Base in Texas. "This program is built on a foundation of unprecedented international partnership that is embodied at the integrated training center at Luke AFB. Together, we will train the next generation of pilots who will protect freedom at home and abroad."
Luke AFB is projected to become the U.S. Air Force's primary F-35 pilot-training base. Both U.S. pilots and foreign pilots will train at the base before deploying to combat units across the globe. “The game-changing capabilities of this 5th generation stealth fighter are now in the hands of the Luke team who are ushering in a new era of F-35 training,” says Lorraine Martin, GM of the Lockheed Martin F-35 program.
Luke Air Force base is expecting F-35A deliveries several times per month until the base has six squadrons of 24 planes each. The total number of deliveries is expected to reach 144 aircraft, with the base expecting to receive 15 more planes before the end of 2014. Starting in 2015, Luke AFB will begin training U.S. Air Force pilots and eventually international pilots destined for deployment to combat units around the world.
For more information, visit www.luke.af.mil.
