A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 301st Fighter Wing taxis on the flightline for the first time Nov. 5, 2024 at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas. The unit is officially the Air Force Reserve Command’s first stand-alone F-35 wing responsible for owning, maintaining and operating the F-35A mission.
The 301st Fighter Wing at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base took delivery of its first-ever F-35A Lightning II fighter jet earlier this month and marked the occasion with a First Aircraft Arrival ceremony.
Approximately 400 airmen and local dignitaries gathered at NASJRB Fort Worth on Nov. 2 to celebrate the arrival of the supersonic stealth aircraft.
The fifth-generation aircraft is the first F-35A unit for the Air Force Reserve, marking a historic moment. The F-35A is designed to replace the U.S. Air Force's older aircraft models, such as the F-16s and A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, which have been the primary aircraft for over two decades.
"Moving forward into this new era as the Air Force reshapes and reorganizes into units of action, our wing will transition into a deployable combat wing," said Col. Benjamin Harrison, wing commander.
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The participants were given the opportunity to look into the future of aviation and experience the feeling of piloting an F-35A through Lockheed-Martin's simulator.
The F-35s are assembled in Fort Worth at Lockheed-Martin's facility adjacent to the air base.
