Germany's first F-35A conducts maiden flight ahead of Luftwaffe delivery and US training
Germany's first F-35A Lightning II completed its maiden flight from Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth facility on September 8, moving the 35-aircraft programme closer to initial delivery and crew training. An official rollout is scheduled later this month.
Why it matters: Berlin's F-35 buy moves from contract to hardware — the Luftwaffe's nuclear-sharing mission finally gets a jet certified to carry B61 bombs.
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