According to the schedule, the aircraft will be completed, undergo its maiden flight, and be handed over to the user in 2026. The first German example carries the factory number MG-01 and will initially be based at Ebbing in Fort Smith, where Luftwaffe personnel will train on operating and maintaining the F-35A Lightning II.
German State Secretary Nils Hilmer visited @LockheedMartin Fort Worth to sign the forward fuselage bulkhead of Germany’s first F‑35A. Final assembly and inaugural flight are set for next year, delivering sovereign security and @Team_Luftwaffe‘s most capable fighter for NATO. pic.twitter.com/2Ck9PvUyw2
— F-35 Lightning II (@thef35) November 21, 2025
German pilots and technical staff will train alongside Polish and Finnish counterparts. Germany has ordered 35 aircraft through the FMS procedure to meet national and allied needs.
The intergovernmental LOA agreement was approved on 14 December 2022 and deliveries are due to begin in 2026. The first aircraft will be used for training at Ebbing, followed by the arrival of initial examples at their home base in Büchel in 2027.
For Germany, the main role of the F-35A will be participation in NATO’s Nuclear Sharing programme. The aircraft will be configured to carry and employ US-supplied B61 nuclear bombs, replacing the Panavia Tornado IDS currently in service.
