Lockheed Martin flies first F-35A for Germany ahead of official rollout ceremony

Germany's first F-35A completed its maiden flight at Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth facility ahead of the aircraft's formal rollout. The jet is part of Germany's 35-aircraft order and will initially support training in the United States before the fleet moves toward operations from Büchel, where the type will replace the Tornado in conventional and NATO nuclear-sharing roles. First flight confirms an individual airframe has entered airborne testing, not that the Luftwaffe has achieved operational capability; acceptance, pilot conversion, infrastructure certification and delivery of the remaining aircraft are still required.