March 19, 2026 (by F-16.net) - A United States Air Force F‑35 Lightning II stealth fighter was forced to make an emergency landing at a U.S. base in the Middle East after being struck by what U.S. military officials described as suspected Iranian fire during a combat mission over Iran, according to multiple reports on Thursday.
U.S. Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins confirmed that the aircraft landed safely and that its pilot was in stable condition. The cause of the incident is under investigation, with initial indications suggesting the aircraft was hit while flying a combat sortie over Iranian territory.

The incident appears to be the first time a U.S. aircraft has been damaged by enemy action in the ongoing high‑tempo air campaign against Iran, which began in late February 2026. Earlier in the conflict, unmanned systems such as MQ‑9 Reaper drones were shot down, but manned combat jets had largely avoided such losses.

U.S. officials have maintained that their forces, including fifth‑generation fighters, have achieved a high degree of air superiority. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed that U.S. objectives in the conflict remain unchanged and that the campaign has targeted thousands of Iranian military positions.

While the aircraft was reportedly struck by hostile fire, no official confirmation has been released that Iran’s forces successfully shot it down. The jet was able to leave Iranian airspace and reach a friendly base before landing. The nature of the damage — whether from missile fire, anti‑aircraft artillery, or other systems — has not been publicly detailed.

At least 16 U.S. military aircraft have been destroyed or damaged since the conflict began, the majority unmanned, reflecting the risks of operating in contested airspace populated with modern as well as legacy air defence systems.

January 16, 2026 (by Danish Armed Forces) - Today, two Danish F-35 fighter jets and a French MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport) tanker aircraft carried out a planned training mission in southeastern Greenland.
The mission aimed to practice joint operations involving aerial refueling, long-distance flights, and safety under the harsh Arctic conditions.

The aircraft route went from Fighter Wing Skrydstrup directly to the area around Kulusuk on Greenland’s east coast. The French tanker aircraft departed from its base in southern France, to which it returned after completing the training in Greenland. During the training in the North Atlantic, the aircraft also passed the Faroe Islands.

Last year, Denmark and France conducted similar training activities on several occasions, but with Danish F-16 fighter jets and along Greenland’s west coast. This activity was part of the general strengthening of air operations in Arctic regions and contributed to building shared experience in operating under cold, challenging conditions.

The increased military activity follows the Danish Armed Forces’ strengthened presence and training activity in and around Greenland in 2025 together with allies, including France, Germany, Sweden, and Norway.

This effort will continue in 2026 with a range of air-, sea-, and land-based activities to improve the ability to operate in extreme Arctic environments. Flights involving F-35 fighter jets and tanker aircraft will therefore continue in the period ahead.

December 10, 2025 (by Lieven Dewitte) - Finland’s first F-35A Lightning II has completed its maiden flight over Texas, marking a major milestone in the country’s transition from the F/A-18C/D Hornet to a fifth‑generation fighter fleet. The jet, designated JF‑501, is the lead aircraft in a 64‑strong F-35A order.
JF‑501 carried out its first flight on 8 December 2025 from Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, adjacent to Lockheed Martin’s F-35 production line. The sortie was a factory test flight flown by a company test pilot and followed completion of final assembly, application of full Finnish Air Force markings and a period of ground checks and systems testing.

This aircraft had left the final assembly line in late October 2025, keeping to the schedule set when the forward fuselage was ceremonially signed by retired Finnish Air Force colonel Henrik Elo, now the nation’s F-35 program director. An official roll‑out event at Fort Worth, attended by Finland’s president, is planned shortly after the maiden flight to formally unveil the jet.

Replacing the Hornet fleet
Finland is acquiring 64 F-35A conventional take‑off and landing variants to replace its remaining fleet of legacy F/A‑18C/D Hornets on essentially a one‑for‑one basis. That stands out from many other F-35 customers, who often buy fewer stealth fighters than the aircraft they retire, and underlines Helsinki’s intent to preserve – and in some areas expand – its fighter capacity.

The decision followed a lengthy HX fighter competition in which the F-35A was evaluated against the F/A‑18E/F Super Hornet, Rafale, Eurofighter and Gripen. In that process the F-35’s low observability, sensor fusion and growth potential were judged to give the best overall operational effect across air defense, strike and intelligence roles, within a program budget that represents the largest defense investment in Finnish history.

F-35A configuration and capabilities
All Finnish F-35A airframes will be delivered with the Technology Refresh 3 (TR‑3) electronics suite. TR‑3 provides a more powerful mission computer and an open‑architecture backbone intended to support future Block 4 software drops, new weapons and additional sensors over the jet’s life.

With the F-35’s AESA radar, electro‑optical targeting and distributed aperture sensors, Finnish jets will act not only as shooters but as high‑end information nodes for the wider joint force. The aircraft are expected to carry the usual mix of modern air‑to‑air missiles and precision‑guided munitions, giving Finland both a robust air‑policing tool and a credible long‑range strike option once the fleet is fully equipped.

Drag chute and cold‑weather operations
Finland is among a small group of F-35 operators, alongside Norway and Canada, to select the optional drag chute. The braking parachute is housed in a fairing between the vertical tails and is designed to improve stopping performance on short, wet or icy runways typical of northern climates.

Although any external fairing has some impact on radar signature, the chute housing has been shaped to keep the additional radar cross‑section as low as practical while still meeting safety and reliability requirements. The system supports Finland’s long‑standing concept of dispersed operations from austere bases and road strips, a key element in keeping its fighter fleet survivable in a high‑threat scenario.

Basing and entry into service
According to the current fielding plan, the first batch of Finnish F-35A aircraft will begin service in 2026 at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas. There they will support the training of Finnish pilots and maintainers alongside personnel from other F-35 partner nations.

Later in 2026, the first jets are scheduled to arrive in Finland itself, initially joining Fighter Squadron 11 of the Lapland Air Wing at Rovaniemi in the north. From 2028, additional aircraft will stand up operations at the Karelia Air Wing at Kuopio in south‑east Finland, giving the country two F-35 bases, each only around 100 miles from the Russian border.

Role within NATO’s northern air defense

With Finland now a NATO member, the F-35A fleet will plug directly into the alliance’s integrated air and missile defense architecture. The positioning of F-35s at Rovaniemi and Kuopio will allow rapid interception over both the Barents and Baltic regions, reinforcing an area where Allied and Russian air activity already sits in close proximity.

As more European nations bring their own F-35 fleets online, Finland’s aircraft will become part of a broader network of stealth fighters stretching from the High North to central Europe. For a country that has long prioritized resilience, mobilization and territorial defense, JF‑501’s first flight is more than a test milestone – it is the opening move in reshaping how Finland protects its airspace and supports NATO along Russia’s northern frontier.

November 16, 2025 (by Lieven Dewitte) - The Trump administration is expected to push ahead with a plan allowing Saudi Arabia to acquire the F-35 stealth fighter, according to a senior U.S. official.
The announcement is likely to coincide with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the White House on Tuesday, where both sides are preparing to sign several economic and defense agreements.

Saudi Arabia has been seeking the F-35 for years. If approved, the deal would overturn decades of U.S. policy that restricted access to the aircraft in the Middle East to preserve Israel’s qualitative military edge. The F-35, built by Lockheed Martin, is among the most advanced and closely guarded platforms in the U.S. arsenal.

While previous administrations—Republican and Democratic—blocked Riyadh’s requests over security and reliability concerns, Trump appears willing to move forward despite continuing objections from Israel, the Pentagon, and the U.S. intelligence community. Critics note that Trump has repeatedly brushed aside complex regional dynamics in favor of headline-friendly deals and personal relationships with foreign leaders.

U.S. defense officials have raised additional alarms about Saudi Arabia’s deepening military ties with China. A Pentagon assessment warned that sensitive F-35 technology could be at risk if transferred to a country that has collaborated with Beijing on ballistic missile development and surveillance infrastructure. Those concerns appear to have done little to slow Trump’s push.

The potential sale comes at a time when Trump is pressuring Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords and normalize relations with Israel—while simultaneously entertaining a weapons package that undermines Israel’s long-standing security red lines. Analysts say the contradictory approach reflects Trump’s tendency to prioritize short-term optics over strategic consistency.

Also on the agenda are access to advanced AI chips, nuclear technology cooperation, and discussions on Gaza, despite the administration offering few details on how these issues align with broader U.S. policy. Observers have criticized Trump for treating highly sensitive defense matters as transactional leverage rather than as components of a coherent foreign-policy strategy.

U.S.–Saudi ties were severely strained following the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. While many Western governments distanced themselves from Riyadh, Trump repeatedly defended the crown prince, dismissing U.S. intelligence findings and publicly stating that arms deals were “too lucrative to walk away from.” The F-35 proposal continues that pattern, placing economic and political considerations ahead of democratic values and long-standing security safeguards.

The White House has not commented publicly on the expected announcement.

July 30, 2025 (by Bjorn Claes) - A US Navy F-35C went down this evening around 6:30 pm near NAS Lemoore in central California, The pilot managed to eject safely,
Footage from the crash showed flames and dense black smoke coming from the crash site, approximately 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest of Fresno. Emergency medical crews responded swiftly to assist the pilot.

The downed aircraft belonged to Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-125, dubbed the “Rough Raiders.” As a Fleet Replacement Squadron, VF-125 plays a critical role in training Navy pilots and aircrew.

This crash is the second one this year. In January an Air Force F-35A crashed at Eielson AFN in Alaska during training. Fortunately, that pilot also ejected safely.

Although this crash once again raises questions about the aircraft's reliability, the track record of all variants of the F-35 is outstanding. Compaired to other fighter platforms, the jet still has the lowest accident rate after more then 10 years of operations. The fact that the jet is being introduced in many air forces usually sees a rise in accidents, but with the F-35 the opposite is true.