On Thursday, August 21, 2025, the press service of the 125th Fighter Wing The Thunder of the Florida Air National Guard announced that its 159th Fighter Squadron Boxin’ Gators, based at Jacksonville Air National Guard Base, had received the milestone 500th Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II multirole aircraft delivered to the United States Air Force (USAF) since the beginning of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program.
Photo: Staff Sgt. Jacob Hancock, US Air National Guard
The milestone aircraft was among three delivered to the base on July 9 of this year, so the announcement came with a considerable delay. Importantly, these are also the first fifth-generation aircraft assigned to the squadron, which has operated Boeing F-15C/D Eagle air superiority fighters since 2006. This marks the beginning of a multi-year process of rearming the unit and phasing out older aircraft. It is the fourth U.S. Air National Guard unit to receive the F-35A.
“These new F-35s, which include the Air Force’s 500th, represent the forefront of fifth-generation airpower,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Joseph Pasko, commander of the 159th Fighter Squadron. “We expect to play an integral role in potential future conflicts, and our citizen-Airmen stand ready to answer the nation’s call, anytime, anywhere.”
To initiate the rearmament process, a new simulator complex has been constructed at the base, hangar ventilation has been modernized in accordance with airframe maintenance requirements, construction has commenced on a climate-controlled weapons assembly facility, and cooperation has been established with the Jacksonville Aviation Authority to expand taxiways at Jacksonville International Airport.
On the occasion of the delivery of the 500th F-35A aircraft, the conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant, it is worth recalling that, according to the Department of Defense’s plans, the USAF is to receive a total of 1,763 units to ultimately replace the A-10C Thunderbolt II, F-15C/D Eagle, and F-16C/D Fighting Falcon. This means that, so far, Lockheed Martin and its partners have accomplished just under 30% of the program.
In total, more than 1,215 aircraft of all versions, including the B and C variants, have been delivered to U.S. Department of Defense users, F-35 JSF program partners, and foreign customers under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.
On March 3 of this year, the global F-35 fleet surpassed 1 million flight hours.
𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘: 𝟏𝟐𝟓𝐭𝐡 𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐅-𝟑𝟓𝐬
“These new F-35s, which include the Air Force’s 500th, represent the forefront of fifth-generation airpower,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Joseph… pic.twitter.com/9VpsIR4w9E
— FloridaNationalGuard (@FLGuard) August 21, 2025
500 and climbing! 🚀
The 500th F-35 has officially joined the mighty @usairforce fleet, building on America's strong deterrence posture. 🇺🇸✈️ pic.twitter.com/aECf9fNVUk
— F-35 Lightning II (@thef35) August 13, 2025
🎥: Another first in the books! 📖
The first F-35A Lightning II aircraft permanently assigned to the Florida Air National Guard's 125th Fighter Wing taxis on the flight line after landing at Jacksonville Air National Guard Base.
This delivery marks a key milestone in the wing’s… pic.twitter.com/CHCsXL8JWH— F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office (@theF35JPO) August 19, 2025
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