On September 1, 2022, the U.S. Department of Defense's Office of F-35 Joint Programs (JPO) and Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) released their 9th monthly briefing of the year: the F-35's global fleet now exceeds 840 aircraft; The total number of flight hours was 563,000; 1,755 qualified pilots and 12,930 service personnel were trained.
Of the 563,000 hours, a total of 327,752 sorties were flown, with an average of 1 hour and 42 minutes per flight; The detachments carried out 333 deployment or combat missions.
As of September 2022, there are eight troops using the F-35 in a combat environment. They are: the Israeli Air Force, the United States Marine Corps, the United States Air Force, the Royal Air Force, the Italian Air Force, the Norwegian Air Force, the United States Navy, the Netherlands Air Force.
There are 12 armies that have achieved initial operational capability (IOC): U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, Israeli Air Force, Royal Air Force, Italian Air Force, U.S. Navy, Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Norwegian Air Force, British Royal Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, Korean Air Force, Dutch Air Force.
Nine countries operate the F-35 on home: the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Italy, Australia, Norway, the Netherlands, Japan, and South Korea.
Recent hot events include:
On August 15, 2022, U.S. Marine Corps F-35Bs participated in Exercise Pitch Black 2022 at Darwin Air Force Base in Australia. The exercise involved 17 countries, 2,500 people and 100 aircraft.
Eight F-35As from the 134th Fighter Squadron of the 158th Fighter Wing of the Vermont National Guard have been deployed in March this year at the Lekkenheas, England, and Spandalham, Germany, and participated in NATO air alert missions on the east wing in Poland, Estonia, and Romania, and have recently returned to the United States, which is the first time that the National Guard's F-35A has been deployed overseas.
After two carriers carrying the F-35C and one amphibious assault ship carrying the F-35B, the current Marine Corps F-35B continues to follow the deployment of the USS Tripoli (LHA-7) in the Western Pacific, and the F-35B/C has been patrolling seamlessly in the Western Pacific for more than 12 months.
As of September 2022, the F-35 has 36 deployment bases around the world, of which 26 are onshore. They are:
13 in the United States: Alaska: Elson Air Force Base; California: Edwards Air Force Base, Navy Lemore Air Station, Marine Corps Miramar Air Station; Utah: Hill Air Force Base; Arizona: Luke Air Force Base, Marine Corps Yuma Air Station; Nevada: Nellis Air Force Base, Naval Fallon Air Terminal; Vermont: Joint Base of the National Guard in Burlington; Maryland: Naval Patta Air Terminal; South Carolina: Marine Corps Beaufort Air Station; Florida: Eglin Air Force Base.
7 in Europe: Maham, Leckenheath; Orland, Norway, Evans; Lüwarden in the Netherlands, Volker in the Netherlands, Emmendora in Italy.
West Asia 1: Israel's Nevatim.
3 in East Asia: Cheongju, South Korea; Japan's Misawa and Iwakuni.
Australia 2: Williamtown, Tindall.
The other 10 offshore maneuvering platforms are:
Aircraft carriers: HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08), HMS Prince of Wales (R09), HMS Cavour (CVH550), HMS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), HMS Lincoln (CVN-72).
U.S. amphibious assault ships: USS Essex (LHD-2), USS Wasp (LHD-1), USS America (LHA-6), USS Makin Island (LHD-8), USS Tripoli (LHA-7).
Milestones have been made in terms of unit flight costs: current costs are 50% lower than in 2015; Another 40 percent reduction is expected by 2025: reducing the cost of flying per hour to $25,000 to ensure the U.S. and allies can operate the F-35 affordably.
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