FORT WORTH, Texas — Lockheed Martin said the global F-35 Lightning II fleet has surpassed 1,355 aircraft deliveries and one million flight hours, as the programme continues to expand across 20 participating countries.
Data through August 27 shows the fleet has completed more than 807,820 sorties and over 810 detachments and deployments. More than 3,560 pilots and 21,680 maintainers have been trained to operate and support the aircraft.
The F-35 is now flown by 17 military services, with 12 countries operating the aircraft from their home territory. Fourteen services have declared Initial Operational Capability (IOC), while three have reached Full Operational Capability (FOC).
The programme currently covers 55 active operating locations, including 42 land bases and 13 ships. Based on customer procurement decisions, Lockheed Martin expects this network to grow to 58 land bases and 24 ships by 2030.
The United States remains the largest customer, with planned fleets of 1,763 F-35As for the Air Force, 280 F-35Bs and 140 F-35Cs for the Marine Corps, and 273 F-35Cs for the Navy.
The programme's partner nations are the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Denmark and Norway. Foreign Military Sales customers include Israel, Japan, South Korea, Belgium, Poland, Singapore, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Greece and Romania. Japan's planned fleet is the largest among FMS customers, with 105 F-35As and 42 F-35Bs.
Recent Developments
Denmark declared a new deployable F-35 operations facility fully operational on August 14. On August 17, Lockheed Martin completed final assembly of Germany's first F-35.
On August 19, US Marine Corps VMFA-542 received the US Air Force Gallant Unit Citation after flying more than 1,000 combat sorties during Middle East deployments in 2025.
Belgian pilots conducted the first GBU-12 bomb release from a Belgian F-35 on August 20, while a British pilot flew an F-35C for the first time on August 21.
Lockheed Martin said F-35 aircraft have demonstrated their capabilities during Epic Fury, Midnight Hammer, Rough Rider and Rising Lion, while also participating in Absolute Resolve, Inherent Resolve and Operation Shader.
The global fleet first exceeded one million cumulative flight hours in March 2025. Lockheed Martin delivered a record 191 F-35s in 2025, compared with the previous annual high of 142 in 2021. The 2025 deliveries also helped clear earlier backlogs linked to TR-3 upgrades.
By early 2026, the fleet stood at nearly 1,300 aircraft, before exceeding 1,355 deliveries by late August. The programme continues to expand its fleet, operating locations, training base and international operations.
——— End of Article ———
