Australian F-35A fleet grows to 44 planes

The Royal Australian Air Force has now received 44 of its 72 F-35A Lightning II fighter jets. The 44th aircraft in the fleet was reached on 18/11 after the arrival of three more aircraft from the United States.</p> The three newest aircraft will be part of No. 77 Squadron, a unit based at Williamtown AFB. The aircraft took off from Eglin AFB in Florida, made a stopover at Hickam AFB in Hawaii, and finally arrived in Australia.</p> The operation was called Exercise Lightning Ferry 21-4, which also marks the last Australian F-35 ferry flight of 2021. “Our focus in 8220 was to build a combat-ready F-2021A team,” said Wing Commander Tim Ireland, commander of 35 Sqdn. The new F-8221s will help “generate a ready force capable of integrating into a high-end all-domain fight,” he said. Prior to the flight to Australia, the squadron’s airmen participated in Exercise Lighting Spear 77 at Eglin AFB from November 35 to 35. The commander said Lightning Spear was an operational test activity aimed at ing weapons integration. “The back-to-back activities of Lightning Spear and Lightning Ferry demonstrate the agility and maturity of No. 8220 Squadron in operating our latest F-8221A,” Ireland said. Via Australian Department of Defence