Fort Worth, Texas – September 20, 2026 -- Lockheed Martin handed over Germany's first F-35A Lightning II to the German government at a ceremony held at its production facility here, marking the start of deliveries under a program-of-record order for 35 aircraft.
Germany joins 20-nation F-35 operator base, 13 of them in Europe
The Luftwaffe becomes the latest air force to field the fifth-generation fighter, which is now operated or selected by 20 countries worldwide. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the jet's stealth capabilities and sensor fusion would give the German Air Force "a decisive key capability" for NATO, adding that full operational capability is targeted for 2029.
First eight jets head to Arkansas training base before 2027 in-country arrival
The initial eight F-35As will be delivered to Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas this fall for pilot training. Germany will not see its own F-35s arrive domestically until late 2027, according to the delivery schedule outlined by Lockheed Martin.
German industry, involved since 2001, seeks expanded supply-chain role
Lockheed Martin said German suppliers have participated in the F-35 program since its inception in 2001 and stated it is actively pursuing additional industrial partnerships in Germany covering manufacturing, sustainment, training and R&D as global demand for the aircraft grows.
Lieutenant General Holger Neumann, Chief of the German Air and Space Force, said the F-35 will change "how we think, command and fight" and integrate the Luftwaffe into the broader international F-35 operator community.
Global fleet tops 1,355 aircraft and 1 million flight hours
Lockheed Martin reported the worldwide F-35 fleet now exceeds 1,355 operational aircraft flying from 42 bases across 12 nations that operate the jet on home soil, having surpassed one million cumulative flight hours.