The American company Lockheed Martin officially announced that the global fleet of fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighters has surpassed one million flight hours. This news not only highlights the success of the program but also the increasing global demand from the United States Armed Forces and allied nations around the world.
Lieutenant General Michael Schmidt, Executive Officer of the Joint F-35 Lightning II Program, stated: “This milestone not only reflects the unparalleled capability of the F-35 but also the resilience and commitment of everyone involved in this program. As we continue to expand the fleet and enhance the F-35’s capabilities, we ensure that today’s and tomorrow’s warfighters have the most advanced, reliable, and effective tool to protect their nations.”
According to reports, this milestone includes combat operations carried out by all F-35 variants in service. Notably, in November 2024, the carrier-based “C” variant of the U.S. Marine Corps was deployed on its first combat mission from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). During these operations, strikes were conducted against designated targets, such as advanced weapons depots used by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
For now, Lockheed Martin aims to reach the next million flight hours with a growing global fleet that already exceeds 1,100 units. The company’s goal is to maintain the stealth fighter as a key element in achieving air supremacy by increasing cooperation with current and future platforms of the U.S. Armed Forces and allied nations. In line with this, the F-35 is also expected to integrate control over unmanned combat aerial vehicles as part of the U.S. Air Force’s future Collaborative Combat Aircraft fleet.
Finally, despite this milestone, it is important to note that the F-35 program has faced several delivery delays. This issue arose in 2023 due to delays in the introduction of the Tech Refresh 3 (TR-3) software update, which had not been fully approved. As a result, deliveries were halted, and aircraft were stored. The pause occurred because the U.S. government refused to accept the jets without full certification, which is expected to be completed in 2025. By September 2024, at least 80 proposed modifications related to communications, navigation, and electronic warfare for the fighter jet remained unfinished.
However, months ago, deliveries were approved with a truncated version of the software, allowing the resumption of aircraft deliveries and the initiation of pilot training with the updated version of the jet. In this regard, the latest delivery update came earlier this year when Lockheed Martin announced that it had successfully delivered a total of 110 new F-35 stealth fighters to the United States and allied forces in 2024.
You may also like: First flight of a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B fighter jet equipped with the new BVR MBDA Meteor missile recorded
