The U.S. Air Force reached a decisive moment in its decades-long modernization push this month with the delivery of its 500th F-35A Lightning II, a stealth fighter that has become the backbone of America’s fifth-generation combat fleet.
The milestone aircraft touched down at the Florida Air National Guard’s 125th Fighter Wing in Jacksonville, marking not only a generational leap in capability for the Guard but also a statement of intent to adversaries watching from Moscow, Beijing, and Tehran.
For the Air National Guard, the arrival of the F-35A means the end of an era. The Jacksonville-based wing, nicknamed The Thunder, is transitioning from the F-15C/D Eagle — an airframe that first entered service in the 1970s and defined American air superiority for decades — to the F-35, the most advanced combat aircraft in history.
The transition makes the 125th Fighter Wing the fourth Air Guard unit nationwide to adopt the F-35A, joining peers in Vermont, Wisconsin, and Alabama. The unit expects to field up to 20 Lightning IIs in the coming years while gradually retiring its Eagles. For now, it will operate a mixed fleet, using a combination of newly delivered and loaned F-35s to maintain combat readiness without interruption.
“These new F-35s, which include the Air Force’s 500th, represent the forefront of fifth-generation airpower,” said Lt. Col. Joseph Pasko, commander of the 159th Fighter Squadron. “We expect to play an integral role in potential future conflicts, and our citizen-Airmen stand ready to answer the nation’s call — anytime, anywhere.”
The F-35 is not just another fighter jet. It is the culmination of decades of research into stealth, electronic warfare, and networked combat. Unlike its fourth-generation predecessors such as the F-15, F-16, or F/A-18, the Lightning II was built from the ground up to be invisible to enemy radars, fusing data from an array of advanced sensors to give pilots a god’s-eye view of the battlespace.
Its stealth profile, coupled with electronic attack systems, allows it to penetrate dense air defense networks. Its ability to share information with other aircraft, ground forces, and naval assets makes it a centerpiece of the Pentagon’s doctrine of Agile Combat Employment (ACE) — dispersing small numbers of fighters across austere bases and redeploying them quickly to complicate enemy targeting.
In practical terms, this means Jacksonville’s F-35s are not just guarding Florida skies. They are part of a global web of power projection designed to deter near-peer competitors.
The location of the 125th Fighter Wing is no accident. Jacksonville sits at the crossroads of multiple geostrategic theaters: the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, and the approaches to Latin America.
For U.S. defense planners, this is a region where Russian and Chinese influence is steadily growing. Moscow has long sought to deepen military cooperation with Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua, while Beijing has invested heavily in port infrastructure and telecommunications projects throughout the hemisphere.
Brig. Gen. Richard L. Coffey, assistant adjutant general for air, highlighted this reality.
“The Guard’s ability to field fifth-generation aircraft in key regions gives combatant commanders the reach, resilience, and rapid response they need,” Coffey said. “Jacksonville’s strategic location and joint partnerships expand the Air Force’s options and ensure our Airmen are at the forefront of our nation’s defense.”
Welcoming the F-35 required major infrastructure changes at Jacksonville Air National Guard Base. The transition has been years in the making, with construction projects ranging from a new simulator complex for pilot training to climate-controlled weapons storage facilities capable of handling advanced munitions.
Taxiways and maintenance bays were also widened and hardened to accommodate the unique requirements of stealth aircraft, which demand precision handling and specialized maintenance procedures.
Col. Carl Guckenberger, commander of the 125th Fighter Wing, emphasized the human side of the transformation.
“Modern hardware and software demand modern skill sets,” he said. “Our Airmen have embraced the challenge, directly supporting the conversion efforts while simultaneously completing thousands of hours of formal training so our jets are ready to launch on time and on target.”
For Lockheed Martin, the delivery of the 500th F-35A to the Air Force is a symbolic achievement. Across all U.S. services and allied nations, more than 1,200 F-35s are now in operation. The global fleet has surpassed one million cumulative flight hours, flown by over 3,000 pilots and supported by 13,000 maintainers.
In a statement, the company celebrated the milestone:
“We join the United States Air Force in celebrating the delivery of 500+ F-35s to their squadrons, adding to the combat-proven, global fleet that ensures peace through strength for the U.S. and our allies.”
Internationally, the F-35 is now the cornerstone of a coalition unmatched by any rival. From NATO’s northern flank, where Norway and Denmark deploy F-35s to deter Russian incursions, to the Middle East, where Israel uses the fighter in live combat operations, the Lightning II is redefining allied airpower. In the Indo-Pacific, Japan, South Korea, and Australia are building their own fleets to counter China’s rise.
By contrast, Russia’s Su-57 stealth fighter remains in limited production, with fewer than two dozen in service. China’s J-20 stealth jet has been fielded in greater numbers, but Western analysts debate whether it matches the F-35’s sensor fusion and network integration.
The Air Force’s long-term plan is to acquire 1,763 F-35As, making it the most numerous fighter in U.S. service. But progress has been uneven.
Budget constraints, combined with the rising costs of sustainment, have slowed procurement. For fiscal year 2026, the Pentagon has requested just 24 new F-35As — far fewer than the 48-per-year rate considered necessary to keep the program on track.
Defense analysts warn that this slowdown could create dangerous capability gaps, especially as China continues to expand its fleet of J-20s and Russia pursues upgraded versions of the Su-57.
“The U.S. is in a race it cannot afford to lose,” said one Washington-based analyst. “If procurement doesn’t accelerate in the late 2020s, the Air Force could find itself outnumbered in stealth aircraft by China within a decade.”
If funding stabilizes, projections suggest the F-35A could surpass the venerable F-16 Fighting Falcon as the most numerous fighter in the Air Force inventory by 2030, cementing its role as the backbone of American airpower.
The F-35 of today is not the F-35 of tomorrow. The Block 4 upgrade program promises to add new layers of capability, including enhanced stealth coatings, advanced electronic warfare systems, and expanded weapons options. These will include the integration of hypersonic missiles — a critical capability as Russia and China field their own hypersonic systems.
Perhaps most transformative will be the introduction of a new adaptive-cycle engine under the Air Force’s Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion program. This engine is designed to deliver more thrust, better fuel efficiency, and improved thermal management, all of which will allow the F-35 to operate longer, farther, and with greater payloads.
Artificial intelligence will also play a growing role. Future software upgrades are expected to enhance the aircraft’s ability to process vast amounts of sensor data, offering pilots predictive insights and automating routine decision-making.
Jacksonville will not be the last base to join the F-35 enterprise. Moody Air Force Base in Georgia is slated to receive aircraft in the coming years, while forward-deployed squadrons in Japan are also expanding.
These moves are part of a deliberate strategy to distribute America’s fifth-generation assets across both the European and Pacific theaters. By diversifying basing locations, the Air Force complicates adversary targeting and ensures rapid response to emerging crises.
The delivery of the 500th F-35A is more than a symbolic number. It is a message — to allies, that the U.S. remains committed to technological superiority; and to adversaries, that America will not cede the skies.
As Lt. Col. Pasko put it, the Air Guard’s citizen-Airmen are prepared for what may come. Whether in deterring aggression in the Caribbean, reassuring allies in Europe, or confronting Chinese expansion in the Pacific, the Lightning II represents not just a fighter jet, but a strategic promise.
For the Air Force, the arrival in Jacksonville is a reminder that the future of warfare will be decided not just by numbers, but by who holds the edge in information, stealth, and resilience. With 500 F-35As in service and more on the way, the U.S. has staked its claim to that edge.
