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6 March 18, 2022 History of Luke http://www.luke.af.mil
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F-35s soar through milestones in skies over Arizona

by
JENNA BiGHAm
Aerotech News staff
The F-35A Lightning II landed at Luke for
the first time on March 10, 2014, with excite-
ment and awe from the welcoming crowd
as the jet soared overhead. Since that time,
partner nations and F-35s have continued to
arrive and join the mission. Together they
achieved Luke’s most recent milestone with
the 90,000th F-35 flying hour.
The F-35A is the U.S. Air Force’s latest
fifth-generation fighter. It brings with it an
enhanced capability to survive in the ad-
vanced threat environment in which it was
designed to operate. With its aerodynamic
performance and advanced integrated avi-
onics, the F-35A provides next-generation
stealth, enhanced situational awareness, and
reduced vulnerability for the United States
and allied nations.
The 56th Fighter Wing currently has four
F-35 squadrons, with four partner nations
integrated into two of them. The first fighter
squadron to reactivate with the F-35 mission
was the 61st Fighter Squadron. This was
followed by the 62nd Fighter Squadron; the
63rd Fighter Squadron, and most recently the
308th Fighter Squadron.
Norway, Italy, Netherlands and Denmark Senior Airman Alexander Cook
are the current partner nations training A 63rd Aircraft Maintenance Unit maintainer performs a post-flight inspection on an F-35A Lightning II after a mission Jan. 7,
alongside the U.S. Together, the program 2020, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. Crew chiefs perform nose-to-tail inspections after flight to ensure the aircraft are ready
has 116 F-35s assigned to Luke, with 91 of for the next day’s training. Luke is the largest F-35 training base in the U.S. Air Force, providing combat ready Airmen and pilots.
those being U.S. and 25 belonging to partner
nations.
The aircraft maintenance units have en-
sured the safety and reliability of F-35s for
their respective fighter squadrons and al-
lowed for thousands of sorties to be flown an-
nually, including 14,808 sorties in 2021 alone.
From the early days of flying in WWII, to
today’s mission with the F-35A Lightning II,
Luke’s mission of training the world’s great-
est fighter pilots and combat ready Airmen
continues and the sound of freedom fills the
skies as the milestones fly by.

Airman 1st Class Aspen Reid
A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II, as-
signed to the 63rd Fighter Squadron, Luke
Air Force Base, Arizona, climbs to a higher Staff Sgt. Alexander Cook
altitude Aug. 26, 2019, at the Barry M. First Lt. Joshua Shook, 63rd Fighter Squadron F-35A Lightning II pilot, performs a pre-flight inspection July 22, 2020, at
Goldwater Range near Gila Bend, Arizona. Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The 63rd FS implemented the Beast Mode weapons configuration on their F-35s during
Pilots use the airspace in Gila Bend to train training sorties, to better prepare B-Course student pilots with experience needed for combat. The implementation of the
dropping ordnance and conducting strafing maximum strike weapons configuration is one of many ways the 56th Fighter Wing is training the world’s greatest fighter
passes. pilots and combat ready Airmen.