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Aircraft · Air

F-35A Lightning II

Conventional takeoff and landing variant of the F-35 stealth multirole fighter.

Part of the F-35 Lightning II program →

by Lockheed Martin · First fielded 2016

FieldedAircraftAirCombat useApr 30, 2019
A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II taking off at dusk from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada

Photo: U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Annika Schermerhorn · Public domain (PD-USGov-Military-Air Force)

Milestones20062019
  1. First flightF-35A completes first flight, confirmed
  2. First deliveryUSAF accepts first production F-35A, confirmed
  3. Initial operating capabilityUSAF declares F-35A initial operational capability, confirmed
  4. Combat useUSAF F-35As conduct first combat strike, confirmed

Conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant of the F-35 Lightning II and the most numerous version in the program of record. Its primary U.S. operator is the Air Force, which plans to procure 1,763 F-35As to replace F-16 fighters and A-10 attack aircraft. It is also the variant ordered by most international customers.

Timeline4

  1. First flightConfirmed

    F-35A completes first flight

    First flight of the conventional-takeoff F-35A; this does not date the earlier X-35 demonstrator or later F-35B/C first flights.

  2. First deliveryConfirmed

    USAF accepts first production F-35A

    Formal acceptance of AF-7 took place at Fort Worth on May 5; the aircraft flew to Edwards the next day for flight testing. This was not operational readiness.

  3. Initial operating capabilityConfirmed

    USAF declares F-35A initial operational capability

    The conventional-takeoff F-35A met the Air Force’s initial readiness criteria. This declaration is variant- and operator-specific.

  4. Combat useConfirmed

    USAF F-35As conduct first combat strike

    Two USAF F-35As struck an ISIS tunnel network and weapons cache in Iraq. This is the US Air Force milestone, not the Israeli F-35I combat debut.

The latest 10 milestones. Solid entries are confirmed, outlined reported, dashed estimated or still to come; dotted italic entries are speculative. Dates show only the precision the sources give.

Operators20

  • AUAustralia
  • BEBelgium
  • CACanada
  • CZCzechia
  • DKDenmark
  • FIFinland
  • DEGermany
  • GRGreece
  • ILIsrael
  • ITItaly
  • JPJapan
  • NLNetherlands
  • NONorway
  • PLPoland
  • RORomania
  • SGSingapore
  • KRSouth Korea
  • CHSwitzerland
  • GBUnited Kingdom
  • USUnited States
First fielded
2016
Combat use
Documented · USAF F-35As conduct first combat strike (Apr 30, 2019)

Programs & Awards1 programs

Programs1

Cost to the Government

  • Unit cost (flyaway)Reported
    $92.0M
    Estimate / observation: 2026-09 · Then-year $

    F-35A average price for Lots 18-19 as confirmed by the F-35 JPO to Breaking Defense (reported Sept 2026); up 11.5% from $82.5M in Lots 15-17.

    Source
Earlier cost observations (2)
  • F-35A Lightning II · Unit cost (flyaway) · $62.2M
    Estimate / observation: 2023-12 · BY2012 $ · 1,763 units

    Average unit recurring flyaway cost from the December 2023 (Modernized) SAR via CRS R48304 Table 2, constant CY2012 dollars, assuming 2,470 U.S. and 918 international sales; hardware includes airframe, vehicle systems, mission systems, engine and ECOs over the life of the program. quantity = planned U.S. buy of this variant in the program of record, not the number of aircraft the figure was priced on.

    Source
  • F-35A Lightning II · Unit cost (flyaway) · $82.5M
    Estimate / observation: 2023-10 · Then-year $

    F-35A average flyaway cost for Lots 15-17 (delivered CY2023-2025) per F-35 JPO spokesman Russ Goemaere to Breaking Defense. JPO flyaway = airframe, vehicle systems, mission systems, engine and ECO costs.

    Source

Unit costs and contract unit prices for this system, and budget figures for the programs that buy it. Each figure states its dollar basis and links its source; contract values are under Programs & awards.