Jet, set: the Lightning II is here

In December last year, a piece of aviation history quietly took place at Base Williamtown when the RAAF’s final F-35 touched down. The aircraft – A35-072, pictured on this page – was delivered by manufacturer Lockheed Martin and completes the fleet designed to replace Australia’s venerable Classic Hornets, which retired back in 2021. The arrival ends an exhaustive 25-year, $17 billion process of transitioning to the fifth generation of fighter aircraft.

And what an aircraft it is. Quite simply, the F-35A Lightning II is a jack of all trades and a master of them all. A Swiss Army Knife of a vehicle that defines itself as a fighter but can take on almost any mission conceivable. It can – deep breaths – locate enemy forces and jam their radars; share detailed comms with air, sea and ground; operate in stealth, even in unknown areas; and fly at Mach 1.6, long-range, even with a full complement of weapons and fuel.

This content is available exclusively to Australian Aviation members.

Login

Become a Member

To continue reading the rest of this article, please login.

Username or Email

Password Forgot password?

Keep me signed in on this device.

If you check this box before you log in, you won’t have to log back into the website next time you return, even if you close your browser and come back later.

If you check the box above before you log in, you won’t have to log back into the website next time you return, even if you close your browser and come back later.

---

or

---

Login with a Passkey

To unlock all Australian Aviation magazine content and again unlimited access to our daily news and features, become a member today!
A monthly membership is only $5.99 or save with our annual plans.

PRINT

$49.95 for 1 year Become a Member

See benefits

• Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
• Access to In Focus reports every month on our website

MOST POPULAR

PRINT + DIGITAL

$99.95 for 1 year Become a Member

$179.95 for 2 years Become a Member

See benefits

• Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
• Access to the Australian Aviation app
• Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
• Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
• Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
• Daily news updates via our email bulletin

DIGITAL

$5.99 Monthly Become a Member

$59.95 Annual Become a Member

See benefits

• Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
• Access to the Australian Aviation app
• Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
• Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
• Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
• Daily news updates via our email bulletin

View more offers and details