U.S. Air Force receives 500th F-35 doubling Russia and China combined 5th-gen fleets
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The U.S. Department of Defense announced on August 21, 2025, that the 125th Fighter Wing of the Florida Air National Guard has officially received its first permanently assigned F-35A Lightning II fighter jets. Three aircraft landed at Jacksonville Air National Guard Base on July 9, marking a turning point for the unit as it transitions from the legacy F-15C/D Eagle to fifth-generation stealth fighters. One of the aircraft delivered carries special significance as the 500th F-35A produced for the U.S. Air Force, highlighting the momentum of the service’s sweeping modernization of its tactical aviation fleet.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The F-35A Lightning II combines stealth, advanced sensors, and multirole versatility, giving the U.S. Air Force unmatched air dominance and networked combat capabilities (Picture source: U.S. DoD).
The delivery ends a transitional phase in which the 125th operated loaned F-35s for training and familiarization. For the first time, the Wing now possesses aircraft under its own command, greatly enhancing its operational autonomy. Known by the callsign “Thunder,” the unit is tasked with homeland defense missions across the southeastern United States and also maintains rapid deployment responsibilities for overseas operations. The introduction of permanently assigned stealth fighters strengthens both its readiness and its role within the broader national air defense posture.
Lt. Col. Joseph Pasko, commander of the 159th Fighter Squadron, underlined the importance of the transition, stressing that the F-35 provides unmatched combat power compared to the aging F-15C/D, which has been in service since the late 1970s. He emphasized that the citizen-Airmen of the Florida Guard stand prepared to employ the full spectrum of fifth-generation capabilities when called upon. The F-35’s advanced sensors, stealth profile, and multirole adaptability represent a decisive leap forward in both deterrence and combat flexibility.
The F-15C/D, designed in the 1970s, relies on radar visibility, electronic countermeasures, and sheer speed for survivability, whereas the F-35 is built from the ground up with stealth shaping, radar-absorbent materials, and sensor fusion that allows it to detect and engage threats long before being tracked itself. While the F-15C/D remains a formidable air-to-air platform with a proven combat record, it cannot match the F-35’s low-observability, integrated electronic warfare suite, and ability to act as a battlefield node linking aircraft, ground forces, and naval units in real time. The result is not simply an incremental improvement but a complete transformation, with the F-35 offering survivability and multi-mission flexibility the Eagle was never designed to achieve.
The F-35A Lightning II is designed as a multirole stealth platform combining long-range strike, electronic warfare, and intelligence-gathering functions in a single airframe. Equipped with the AN/APG-81 AESA radar, advanced electro-optical targeting systems, and distributed aperture sensors, the fighter delivers unparalleled situational awareness to pilots. Its internal weapons bays preserve stealth characteristics while allowing carriage of precision-guided munitions such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM and the GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb II. With a top speed of Mach 1.6, a combat radius of over 1,000 kilometers, and seamless integration into joint command networks, the F-35A provides a decisive technological edge in both contested and permissive environments.
The U.S. Air Force fleet of more than 500 F-35As places it far ahead of potential adversaries in both scale and operational maturity. Russia’s fifth-generation Su-57 Felon remains limited in production with fewer than 30 aircraft believed to be operational, while China has deployed a larger but less proven inventory of J-20 Mighty Dragon fighters, estimated at 200 to 250 units. However, Beijing has announced plans to dramatically expand production with the objective of fielding around 1,000 fifth-generation fighters by 2030, a target that would significantly alter the balance of airpower in the Indo-Pacific. Despite these ambitions, neither Russia nor China has yet demonstrated the same level of multinational interoperability, sustainment, or combat readiness achieved by the U.S. through its F-35 program, which also extends across allied nations from Europe to the Pacific.
The deployment of F-35As within the U.S. arsenal provides Washington with unmatched global reach. Units based in Florida can rapidly project power across the Caribbean, Central America, and the Atlantic, while also reinforcing operations in Europe through rotational deployments to NATO bases. In the Pacific, forward-basing in Japan, South Korea, and Guam enables deterrence against Chinese assertiveness, while in the Middle East, temporary rotations continue to secure U.S. interests and assure partners. Operationally, the F-35 serves both as a frontline strike aircraft and as an airborne intelligence hub, linking disparate platforms into a unified combat network and enabling joint forces to conduct precision strikes, electronic suppression, and air dominance missions simultaneously.
This rapid fielding of fifth-generation fighters underscores an intensifying global arms race in advanced airpower. The United States continues to expand its fleet while pursuing sixth-generation Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) technologies, ensuring its lead in stealth, sensors, and weapons integration. Meanwhile, Russia and China accelerate parallel efforts, with China pushing mass production of the J-20 and experimenting with drone wingmen concepts, and Russia working to scale the Su-57 while advancing the future Su-75 Checkmate program. The race is not only technological but numerical, as Washington seeks to maintain overwhelming superiority in combat aircraft inventory to counter the growing quantitative advantages of its rivals.
As the F-35A assumes a dominant role across the active and reserve components of the Air Force, its basing in Florida underscores the Pentagon’s commitment to a distributed, survivable, and technologically advanced fighter force. With additional deliveries scheduled in the months ahead, the 125th Fighter Wing stands at the forefront of America’s airpower evolution, positioned to defend U.S. airspace and support global operations with a fully modernized combat capability.
{loadposition bannertop}
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The U.S. Department of Defense announced on August 21, 2025, that the 125th Fighter Wing of the Florida Air National Guard has officially received its first permanently assigned F-35A Lightning II fighter jets. Three aircraft landed at Jacksonville Air National Guard Base on July 9, marking a turning point for the unit as it transitions from the legacy F-15C/D Eagle to fifth-generation stealth fighters. One of the aircraft delivered carries special significance as the 500th F-35A produced for the U.S. Air Force, highlighting the momentum of the service’s sweeping modernization of its tactical aviation fleet.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The F-35A Lightning II combines stealth, advanced sensors, and multirole versatility, giving the U.S. Air Force unmatched air dominance and networked combat capabilities (Picture source: U.S. DoD).
The delivery ends a transitional phase in which the 125th operated loaned F-35s for training and familiarization. For the first time, the Wing now possesses aircraft under its own command, greatly enhancing its operational autonomy. Known by the callsign “Thunder,” the unit is tasked with homeland defense missions across the southeastern United States and also maintains rapid deployment responsibilities for overseas operations. The introduction of permanently assigned stealth fighters strengthens both its readiness and its role within the broader national air defense posture.
Lt. Col. Joseph Pasko, commander of the 159th Fighter Squadron, underlined the importance of the transition, stressing that the F-35 provides unmatched combat power compared to the aging F-15C/D, which has been in service since the late 1970s. He emphasized that the citizen-Airmen of the Florida Guard stand prepared to employ the full spectrum of fifth-generation capabilities when called upon. The F-35’s advanced sensors, stealth profile, and multirole adaptability represent a decisive leap forward in both deterrence and combat flexibility.
The F-15C/D, designed in the 1970s, relies on radar visibility, electronic countermeasures, and sheer speed for survivability, whereas the F-35 is built from the ground up with stealth shaping, radar-absorbent materials, and sensor fusion that allows it to detect and engage threats long before being tracked itself. While the F-15C/D remains a formidable air-to-air platform with a proven combat record, it cannot match the F-35’s low-observability, integrated electronic warfare suite, and ability to act as a battlefield node linking aircraft, ground forces, and naval units in real time. The result is not simply an incremental improvement but a complete transformation, with the F-35 offering survivability and multi-mission flexibility the Eagle was never designed to achieve.
The F-35A Lightning II is designed as a multirole stealth platform combining long-range strike, electronic warfare, and intelligence-gathering functions in a single airframe. Equipped with the AN/APG-81 AESA radar, advanced electro-optical targeting systems, and distributed aperture sensors, the fighter delivers unparalleled situational awareness to pilots. Its internal weapons bays preserve stealth characteristics while allowing carriage of precision-guided munitions such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM and the GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb II. With a top speed of Mach 1.6, a combat radius of over 1,000 kilometers, and seamless integration into joint command networks, the F-35A provides a decisive technological edge in both contested and permissive environments.
The U.S. Air Force fleet of more than 500 F-35As places it far ahead of potential adversaries in both scale and operational maturity. Russia’s fifth-generation Su-57 Felon remains limited in production with fewer than 30 aircraft believed to be operational, while China has deployed a larger but less proven inventory of J-20 Mighty Dragon fighters, estimated at 200 to 250 units. However, Beijing has announced plans to dramatically expand production with the objective of fielding around 1,000 fifth-generation fighters by 2030, a target that would significantly alter the balance of airpower in the Indo-Pacific. Despite these ambitions, neither Russia nor China has yet demonstrated the same level of multinational interoperability, sustainment, or combat readiness achieved by the U.S. through its F-35 program, which also extends across allied nations from Europe to the Pacific.
The deployment of F-35As within the U.S. arsenal provides Washington with unmatched global reach. Units based in Florida can rapidly project power across the Caribbean, Central America, and the Atlantic, while also reinforcing operations in Europe through rotational deployments to NATO bases. In the Pacific, forward-basing in Japan, South Korea, and Guam enables deterrence against Chinese assertiveness, while in the Middle East, temporary rotations continue to secure U.S. interests and assure partners. Operationally, the F-35 serves both as a frontline strike aircraft and as an airborne intelligence hub, linking disparate platforms into a unified combat network and enabling joint forces to conduct precision strikes, electronic suppression, and air dominance missions simultaneously.
This rapid fielding of fifth-generation fighters underscores an intensifying global arms race in advanced airpower. The United States continues to expand its fleet while pursuing sixth-generation Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) technologies, ensuring its lead in stealth, sensors, and weapons integration. Meanwhile, Russia and China accelerate parallel efforts, with China pushing mass production of the J-20 and experimenting with drone wingmen concepts, and Russia working to scale the Su-57 while advancing the future Su-75 Checkmate program. The race is not only technological but numerical, as Washington seeks to maintain overwhelming superiority in combat aircraft inventory to counter the growing quantitative advantages of its rivals.
As the F-35A assumes a dominant role across the active and reserve components of the Air Force, its basing in Florida underscores the Pentagon’s commitment to a distributed, survivable, and technologically advanced fighter force. With additional deliveries scheduled in the months ahead, the 125th Fighter Wing stands at the forefront of America’s airpower evolution, positioned to defend U.S. airspace and support global operations with a fully modernized combat capability.
