Lockheed Martin says Germany’s first F-35 arrives in Arkansas for Luftwaffe pilot training ahead of deliveries to Büchel in 2027

Germany's first F-35A arrived at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas on October 7 to support Luftwaffe pilot training. Transferred from Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth facility, it is the first of eight German aircraft to be temporarily based in the United States for instruction, with the remaining training aircraft progressing through final assembly. Germany ordered thirty-five F-35As through a 2022 foreign military sales agreement to replace Tornado IDS aircraft, including their NATO nuclear-sharing role. Initial deliveries to Büchel are planned for 2027, so the Arkansas arrival begins training activity ahead of the aircraft's introduction at its German operating base.