Air Force’s 500th F-35 Now on Duty with Florida Air Guard

The 500th F-35A built for the U.S. Air Force is on duty with the Florida Air National Guard, the service and contractor Lockheed Martin confirmed Aug. 21.

The jet arrived at Jacksonville Air National Guard Base in July and is one of three that have been delivered to the 125th Fighter Wing. The 125th is the fourth Air Guard unit to operate the F-35A, after Vermont’s 158th Fighter Wing, Alabama’s 187th Fighter, and Wisconsin’s 115th Fighter Wing.

“These new F-35s, which include the Air Force’s 500th, represent the forefront of fifth-generation airpower,” Lt. Col. Joseph Pasko, commander of the 159th Fighter Squadron, said in a statement. “We expect to play an integral role in potential future conflicts, and our citizen-Airmen stand ready to answer nation’s call anytime, anywhere.”

Lockheed confirmed the milestone in response to a query from Air & Space Forces Magazine.

“We join the United States Air Force in celebrating the delivery of 500+ F-35s to their squadrons, adding to the combat-proven, global fleet that ensures peace through strength for the U.S. and our allies,” a company spokesperson said.

It’s the latest big number for the F-35 fleet. In September 2024, Lockheed delivered its 1,000th F-35 fighter—including all variants and all customers—to the 115th Fighter Wing at Truax Field, Wisc.

Lockheed said it is on track to deliver between 170 and 190 F-35s of all versions in calendar 2025.

At 500 airframes, the F-35A continues to be the second most common type in the Air Force fleet, behind the F-16.

The Air Force plans to acquire 1,763 F-35As, a goal set in the early 2000s. Under the most recently released Pentagon forecast, that will likely not be accomplished until 2050. However, that plan called for the Air Force to consistently buy 48 F-35s per year, which it did not do in its fiscal 2026 budget request, asking for only 24 of the jets.

If the service returns to buying its typical rate of about 48 F-35s per year in fiscal 2027—and F-16 retirements continue at their current rate—the F-35A will become the most numerous fighter in the fleet by 2030.

The Pentagon has said it wants to boost procurement of F-35 spare parts and other maintainability items to raise the availability rates of the existing fleet rather than buy 48 jets in 2026. Lockheed has said it won’t reduce the planned annual production, though, citing strong demand for the fighter from overseas.

In recent years, the Air Force has also debated the idea of halting the F-35 program before the 1,763 figure is reached, due to delays in the fighter’s development and the likelihood that technology and the threat will eclipse its design well before 2050. Air Force leaders in recent years privately said they were considering halting the program at 500 aircraft, but the delivery at Jacksonville indicates that idea has fallen by the wayside.

Indeed, the Florida ANG unit is expecting more F-35s in the near future—20 total— to replace its F-15C/Ds, which retired last year.

“The wing will continue flying a mix of its own aircraft and aircraft loaned by various Air National Guard sister units during this phased transition, allowing the wing to maintain mission readiness without interruption,” according to a press release from the 125th.

In addition to Jacksonville, the Air Force has said it plans to base F-35s at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., and Misawa Air Base, Japan.

Bases preparing for the F-35 start the process years in advance. Members of the 125th have been training for the F-35 since 2023, and the infrastructure changes have played out over the same period. The base received a new simulator complex, “upgraded ventilation for low-observable maintenance hangars,” began construction of a climate-controlled weapons loading facility, and, in partnership with the Jacksonville Aviation Authority, widened the Jacksonville International Airport taxiways.

Co-located at the Jacksonville airport is Mayport Naval Air Station, permitting future joint F-35 exercises and activities with the Navy and Marine Corps.

The F-35’s long-term future could still change. Lockheed Martin, on the heels of losing the F-47 Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter contract to Boeing, has suggested the Air Force pursue a more robust upgrade to the F-35, beyond the 80 or so Block 4 improvements already in the pipeline, that would make use of technologies the company developed in its proposal for the NGAD. These would include a more powerful engine, improved stealth, and other enhancements that company CEO Jim Taiclet has said would provide 80 percent of the F-47’s capability at half its cost. The Air Force and the F-35 Joint Program Office have said these ideas are “notional.”