The aircraft’s formal rollout could take place in the coming weeks, according to the source article. Delivery of the first German F-35A is planned by the end of 2026.
Germany has ordered 35 F-35A Lightning II aircraft through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales procedure for its own and allied requirements. The intergovernmental Letter of Offer and Acceptance was approved on December 14, 2022.
Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2026. The first Luftwaffe aircraft are initially expected to be based at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, as is planned for aircraft ordered by Poland and Finland.
At Ebbing, the German F-35As will be used for personnel training before their transfer to Germany. The first aircraft are expected to arrive at Büchel Air Base in 2027.
The German F-35A fleet is being acquired mainly to support Germany’s role in NATO’s Nuclear Sharing arrangement. Under that mission, allied aircraft are adapted to carry and employ U.S.-supplied B61 nuclear bombs.
In that role, the F-35A will replace Germany’s current Panavia Tornado IDS aircraft. The programme will therefore support the transition of a key Luftwaffe mission to a new-generation combat aircraft.
