The 500th F-35A Lightning II built for the U.S. Air Force arrived at the Florida Air National Guard’s 125th Fighter Wing, located at Jacksonville Air National Guard Base, Florida, on July 9, 2025. This jet is one of the unit’s first three permanently assigned F-35A fighter jets featuring the wing’s legacy tail flash and continues the unit's multi-year transition from the F-15C/D Eagles.
The arrival of these aircraft bolsters the service’s nationwide push to field fifth-generation airpower and keeps the 125th Fighter Wing, known as ‘the Thunder’, on schedule to gain F-35s through a phased delivery plan. The wing will continue flying a mix of its own aircraft and aircraft loaned by various Air National Guard sister units...
