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| List of Countries Using F-35 Lightning II Fighter Jets |
International Military - Many countries buy F-35 fighter jets to replace their old aircraft as a fleet to protect the country. The following countries use F-35 fighter jets made by Lockheed Martin, a United States company.
1. Australia
Australia has purchased four squadrons or in total around 72 F-35 fighter jets at a cost of around AUD 16 billion. Australia's goal is to buy F-35 fighter jets to replace older Hornet fighters and the air force's F-111.
As the F-35 industry leader, Lockheed Martin is working closely with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) to provide the experience, expertise and success in leading the design, production and maintenance of the F-35 weapons system so Australia can properly deploy the F-35 fighter jet. 35 of these.
2. Israel
Israel has agreed to buy as many as 50 F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin. A total of 33 aircraft have already been delivered and the remainder are scheduled to arrive in batches of two and three through an estimate of 2024. Israel was the first country to select the F-35 through the US government's Foreign Military Sales process with a letter of agreement signed in October 2010.
The Israeli Air Force received the country's first F-35A Adir, in 2016. The name Adir is attached to this Israeli Air Force F-35 fighter jet, which means "mighty" in Hebrew.
3. Finland
In December 2021, Finland decided to purchase 64 F-35 stealth multirole fighters to replace the aging F/A-18 Hornet. The first purchased F-35s are expected to arrive in Rovaniemi in 2026 with the rest of the fleet entering service in 2030.
The purchase of the F-35 fighter jet was to guard the country's 1,340-kilometer land border with Russia and to intercept two Russian aircraft over the Barents Sea, which did not violate Norwegian airspace.
4. Germany
The United States has approved the sale of 35 F-35 stealth fighter jets to Germany. The aircraft for sale have been certified to drop the American B-61 nuclear bomb. The total price of the F-35 fighter jets that Germany received was $8.4 billion.
The German Ministry of Defense has decided to replace its Tornado fighter and electronic warfare aircraft with a combination of Lockheed Martin's F-35A stealth fighter and Airbus Defense & Space's Eurofighter ECR starting in 2030. The F-35 merger responds to the need to maintain the Luftwaffe's or German Air Force's nuclear deterrent capability.
5. South Korea
South Korea has ordered 40 F-35 jets for its air force and is operated from Cheongju Air Base by the 17th Fighter Wing of the South Korean Air Force. The South Korean military said as many as 40 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter jets were fully operational. The move came after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un erupted with a series of missile tests.
Where is the US?
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