The F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter achieved a major milestone at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, with the completion of the 100,000th flight by the 56th Fighter Wing on May 9, 2024. Additionally, Lockheed Martin recently celebrated the production of the 1,000th F-35, marking another significant milestone for the aircraft program.
On May 9th, the 56th Fighter Wing conducted the 100,000th flight at Luke Air Force Base in the F-35 fighter jets. The U.S. Air Force announced that Captain Garrett Ellis of the 308th Fighter Squadron piloted the aircraft.
Colonel Matthew Johnston, commander of the 56th Fighter Wing, stated, “The 100,000th sortie of the F-35 at Luke signifies the professionalism and excellence of the entire Luke team.”
He mentioned, “F-35 students here are expected to receive extensive academic learning opportunities, as well as over 80 simulator training sessions and flight missions to prepare them for Air Force operations.”
The 56th Fighter Wing is the world’s largest F-35 Lightning II wing and one of the two F-35 training units in the U.S. Air Force.
The Air Force highlighted that the 100,000th flight further underscores the work of the 56th Maintenance Group at Luke Air Force Base in ensuring the wing’s ability to utilize reliable and well-maintained aircraft for missions.
“For the past decade, our maintenance teams have been diligently maintaining these high-performance aircraft,” Colonel Adam DiGerolamo, commander of the 56th Maintenance Group added. “Each year, we have been able to overcome obstacles to meet mission and training requirements, ultimately achieving this significant milestone.”
The 56th Maintenance Group continues to provide maintenance for approximately 77 F-16 fighter jets and 86 F-35 joint strike fighter aircraft, supporting over 30,000 sorties and 37,000 flight hours annually. This group is the largest maintenance unit in the U.S. Air Force, with 2,200 members who train over 3,000 maintenance technicians each year.
In February of this year, Lockheed Martin also announced the completion of the production of the 1,000th F-35 Lightning II. Apart from older fourth-generation aircraft such as the F-15 Eagle and the Russian Su-27 fighter, few modern fighter aircraft have reached a “four-digit” production level.
Currently, the number of F-35 aircraft in service surpasses the total of all other stealth aircraft combined.
According to the F-35 Joint Program Office, as of the beginning of this year, the Lightning II has accumulated over 773,000 flight hours and a total of 469,000 sorties, with the stealth fighter now in use or slated for use by over 70 countries.