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U.S. Air Force Col. Mansour Elhihi, left, commander with the Florida National Guard's 125th Fighter Wing, followed by Jay Collins, Lt. Gov., Florida, Donna Deegan, mayor, Jacksonville, Florida, and U.S. Army Maj. Gen. John Haas, the adjutant general of Florida, are photographed ahead of the Thunder and Lightning ceremony held at Jacksonville Air National Guard Base, Florida, April 11, 2026. The ceremony brought state, local and Florida National Guard service members together to commemorate the wing's transition to the F-35A Lightning II, a multi-role fighter jet built to deliver precision, stealth and unmatched combat power to the nation. The wing's transition began in August 2020, when the Department of the Air Force first notified the 125th FW that it had been selected to receive the advanced aircraft. Following years of infrastructure preparation and training, the base celebrated the arrival of its first F-35A models on March 4, 2025, marking the wing's evolution into a fifth-generation combat unit. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Chelsea Smith)
| Date Taken: | 04.11.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 04.15.2026 16:29 |
| Photo ID: | 9609819 |
| VIRIN: | 260411-Z-XV261-1005 |
| Resolution: | 8256x5504 |
| Size: | 9.79 MB |
| Location: | JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 13 |
| Downloads: | 4 |
This work, 125th Fighter Wing officially welcomes F-35 era [Image 7 of 7], by MSgt Chelsea Smith, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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