September 27, 2026 (by Lieven Dewitte) - Three additional Belgian F-35A fighter jets have arrived at Florennes AB, bringing the number of F-35As physically present in Belgium to seven and accelerating the phased withdrawal of the country’s F-16 fleet ahead of planned transfers to Ukraine.
The three aircraft (s/n FL013, FL015 and FL016) landed at Florennes on the afternoon of Friday, 25 September 2026, shortly after 14:30h local time, following a transatlantic ferry flight from the United States with a refuelling stop in the Azores. The flight was supported by two U.S. Air Force KC-135 tankers.

The jets join the four F-35As that arrived at Florennes in October 2025, where Belgium’s 1st Squadron is introducing the type into service. Another Belgian F-35A (#FL014) is expected to arrive before the end of 2026, which would bring the home-based fleet at Florennes to eight aircraft.

Eight more (FL001 to FL008) are based at Luke AFB, Az. for the conversion of the Belgian Air Force pilots. Belgium ordered in total 34 F-35A's in 2018 to replace its fleet of F-16s, with full delivery and full combat readiness scheduled to be completed by 2030. The Belgian F-35As are currently expected to be ready for rapid-response operations as early as 2027.

F-16 phase-out and Ukraine transfers
The arrival of new F-35As in the Belgian Air Force will determine the pace at which Belgium transfers F-16s to Ukraine. As F-35s are delivered, Belgium will gradually decommission its F-16 fighter jets and transfer them to Ukraine.

By the end of 2026, Belgium plans to transfer seven F-16s to Ukraine: three for combat use and four as a source of spare parts. In total, Belgium plans to transfer all 53 of its F-16s to Ukraine by the end of 2029.

Under the timeline given by Belgium earlier this year, the delivery of the first seven F-16s should take place this year. These are likely to include three combat-capable aircraft and four non-operational Falcons for spare parts. Another five are expected to head to Ukraine in 2027. This will rise to 14 in 2028 and the remaining 27 in 2029.

Strategic context
Belgium’s pledge to transfer all 53 remaining F-16AM/BM fighters to Ukraine is a mechanical consequence of Lockheed Martin’s delivery schedule for 34 F-35A aircraft. Consequently, Kyiv is now slated to receive an initial tranche of combat-ready and spare-parts F-16s by late 2026, followed by a sustained throughput that will make Belgium the single largest European donor of the airframe, although the ultimate operational impact remains tethered to the continued, uninterrupted delivery of the remaining contracted F-35s from Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth assembly lines.

The initial tranche of seven F-16s to Ukraine by end-2026—three combat-ready, four designated for spare parts—represents the leading edge of a release protocol constrained not by political will but by NATO Article 5 obligations.

September 23, 2026 (by Lieven Dewitte) - Canada’s first F-35A Lightning II, destined for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) as the CF-35A, has completed its maiden flight from Lockheed Martin’s production facility at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas, on 23 September 2026.
The aircraft, construction number AR-1, took off at around 12:00h local time and flew accompanied by an F-35C acting as a safety chase. Photographers at Fort Worth captured the sortie, which occurred without an official public announcement or ceremony.

The RCAF confirmed that the flight took place but did not issue a formal statement or press release. The sortie marks a production and testing milestone rather than an operational entry into Canadian service.

Delivery and training timeline
The first Canadian-designated F-35s are scheduled to be delivered to Luke Air Force Base in Arizona before the end of 2026 to support Canadian pilot training. The initial eight aircraft are to be delivered in 2026–2027 for this purpose.

The first F-35s are expected to arrive in Canada in 2028, with the first aircraft on home soil planned for Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake. Initial Operational Capability (IOC) of a CF-35A squadron is anticipated in 2029–2030, and Full Operational Capability (FOC) is targeted for 2033–2034.

Procurement context
Canada finalized an agreement in January 2023 to acquire 88 F-35A fighter jets to replace the aging CF-188 Hornet fleet. However, the government has ordered a review of the broader procurement, and as of September 2026, Ottawa is contractually committed to only the first 16 aircraft.

Despite the ongoing review and political debate, the first F-35As are still scheduled to arrive this year for training in Arizona. Canadian pilots are expected to begin training on the aircraft at Luke Air Force Base, even as the government continues to evaluate the future of the full 88-jet program.

Side note: Mixed fleet considerations
In parallel with the F-35 program, Canada is examining options for a mixed fleet that could combine Lockheed Martin F-35As with Saab Gripen E fighters. Defence officials have indicated that Ottawa remains committed to the initial 16 F-35As while exploring whether to expand the fleet with additional aircraft, potentially including up to 72 Gripen Es assembled in Canada.

This approach would see the F-35 serving as the high-end, stealth component of Canada’s future fighter force, while the Gripen could provide additional capacity for lower-intensity missions and domestic operations. The final decision on the overall fleet composition remains pending as the government’s review continues.

August 1, 2026 (by Lieven Dewitte) - A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II has crashed on the flightline at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, after the pilot successfully ejected from the aircraft. The mishap occurred on the morning of 31 July 2026, sending a large plume of black smoke into the sky and sparking a brush fire that was quickly contained by emergency crews.
The pilot successfully ejected using the aircraft's Martin-Baker ejection seat and was transported to a local medical facility in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.

Emergency personnel responded to the aircraft mishap at approximately 10:00 a.m. local time on 31 July 2026. The F-35B was assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is headquartered at MCAS Miramar. The base, located about 14 miles north of downtown San Diego, is famously known as the former home of the Navy's TOPGUN fighter weapons school and has been a key hub for F-35B operations on the West Coast, hosting multiple squadrons and supporting training missions for Marine pilots transitioning to the fifth-generation fighter. The base's proximity to extensive training ranges over the Pacific Ocean makes it an ideal location for F-35B operations.

Video footage from the scene showed the charred remains of the F-35B surrounded by burnt grass, with firefighting vehicles working to extinguish the flames.

Eyewitnesses on the base reported seeing two fighter jets conducting training exercises before the crash. According to one observer, the first jet landed safely, but the second appeared to experience trouble during its approach. The eyewitness described the jet's tail dropping too low, the aircraft skidding on the runway, and moments later the pilot ejecting.

The U.S. Marine Corps has classified the crash as a Class A mishap, the highest category for military aviation accidents. This designation is used when an aircraft is destroyed, damage exceeds $2 million, or a service member is killed.

This incident marks the second major crash involving an F-35 this year since the crash of an F-35A from Nellis AFB, north of the base near Las Vegas, Nevada.

July 23, 2026 (by Lieven Dewitte) - For the first time, a Polish F-35A has taken to the skies after being assembled in Europe. On 22nd July 2026, the first Poland-bound F-35A Lightning II built at Leonardo’s Cameri final assembly line in Italy completed its maiden functional test flight.
Until now, every Polish F-35A has been manufactured at Lockheed Martin’s main production facility in Fort Worth, Texas. Poland ordered 32 F-35A conventional take-off and landing jets in 2020 to replace its ageing MiG-29 and Su-22 fleets, with the first American-built aircraft, AZ-01 “Husarz”, rolling out in August 2024 and making its first flight in December 2024.

The first three of those U.S.-built jets arrived at Łask Air Base in May 2026 and were formally welcomed into service in June, followed by ceremonial flypasts over Gdańsk, Warsaw, Kraków and Łódź. Under the original schedule, deliveries are to continue in batches through 2030, with a phasing-in of F-35s at Łask and eventually other bases as the fleet grows.

The aircraft that just flew in Italy (#3517), is the first of 16 Polish F-35As that will be assembled at Cameri rather than in Texas. That means roughly half of Poland’s 32-aircraft order will be built on European soil, with the remainder coming from the U.S. line.

The Cameri facility, operated by Leonardo in partnership with Lockheed Martin, is already the European hub for F-35 final assembly and checkout (FACO). It assembles F-35As for Italy, the Netherlands and other European customers, and performs regional maintenance and upgrade work.

Poland has named its F-35A “Husarz”, in reference to the historic Polish winged hussars, a symbol of elite cavalry and shock power. The name reflects both national pride and the intended role of the F-35 as the spearhead of Poland’s future air combat capability.

All Polish F-35As will be delivered with the latest Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) configuration, which provides enhanced computing power, an open-architecture mission system and the foundation for future Block 4 software and capability upgrades. This gives Poland a growth path for new sensors, weapons and electronic warfare functions over the jet’s service life.

The first three U.S.-built F-35As are already in Poland and in the early stages of pilot and maintainer training, with more American-built jets expected to follow. The Cameri line will now begin feeding additional airframes into the same pipeline, with tail 3517’s first flight serving as the green light for serial European production of Polish jets.

By the end of 2026, Poland expects to have around 14 F-35s in service, with the full fleet of 32 delivered by 2030. As the fleet grows, Łask will transition from a small introductory squadron to a larger F-35 wing, while Poland’s legacy MiG-29s and Su-22s are progressively retired.

March 31, 2026 (by Lieven Dewitte) - The pilot of an F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter from Nellis Air Force Base safely ejected before the jet crashed Tuesday north of the base near Las Vegas, Nevada.
In a statement, the 57th Wing at Nellis Air Force Base said there was no impact on populated areas. “The pilot is safe and being treated for minor injuries.

The incident occurred approximately 25 miles northeast of Indian Springs, Nev., near Creech AFB, within the controlled airspace and restricted federal property of the Nevada Test & Training Range at Nellis. The aircraft was on a training mission and reported trouble maneuvering around noon, according to sources.

Nellis AFB is home to the 57th Wing, which develops advanced air combat tactics, as well as the integration of new systems and weapons on existing aircraft. It’s mission includes simulated combat against aggressor aircraft flown by Air Force pilots. It has served as a major hub of development of the F-35A, the Air Force version of the stealth fighter that is also flown in other variants by the Marine Corps and Navy.

The cause of the crash has not yet been confirmed.

The previous incident with an F-35 was on 19 March 2026, when a US F-35 was forced to make an emergency landing at a Middle East airbase during the 2026 Iran war, as it was allegedly struck by an Iranian munition. The stealth jet had been flying a combat mission over Iran.