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A RAAF F-35 will fly past Sydney Harbor at midday to celebrate Australia Day on Thursday.
The fifth-generation fighter jet will be visible anywhere from Circular Quay in the city up to North Head in Manly.
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It will be joined by an MH-60R Seahawk that will fly along the beaches and through the harbour with the national flag underslung.
The Army’s Red Beret parachute team and the RAAF’s formation aerobatic display team – the Roulettes – will bring the day to a close.
Across the country, other aircraft conducting flypasts will include the Poseidon, Wedgetail and Hercules.
To see a full list of displays, locations and times, see the bottom of this article.
The F-35 is the country’s newest fighter, purchased to replace the RAAF’s F/A-18A/B Classic Hornets that were in service since 1985 and retired in late 2021.
Over the coming years, Australia will buy 72 as part of the $17 billion AIR 6000 Phase 2A/B program, with all expected to be fully operational by 2023.
In September, the RAAF took delivery of four more, taking its current fleet to 54.
The aircraft comes in three variants: the F-35A — purchased by Australia — is a conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) version; the F-35B is a short take-off/vertical landing (STOVL) variant, and the final F-35C is the carrier type (CV).
Australia similarly placed a second order in September for 12 MH-60R Seahawk/Romeo helicopters in a deal tipped to be worth over $2.5 billion.
The new aircraft will build on the 24 acquired between 2013–2016 and would take the total size of the fleet to 36.
| TOWN/CITY | LOCATION | TIMING | Aircraft |
| Canberra, ACT | Rond Terrace Canberra | 09.25 am | C-130J Hercules |
| Windsor, NSW | Governor Phillip Park, George St Windsor, NSW | 5.30 pm | C-130J Hercules |
| Nelson Bay, NSW | Riverside Park Raymond Terrace | 12.30 pm | E-7A Wedgetail |
| Raymond Terrace, NSW | Riverside Park Raymond Terrace | 12.35 pm | E-7A Wedgetail |
| Katherine, NT | Stuart Highway, Katherine, NT Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts and Cultural Centre | 11.00 am | F-35A Lightning II |
| Darwin, NT | The Cenotaph, Bicentennial Park, The Esplanade | 12.00pm | F-35A Lightning II |
| Melbourne, VIC | Government House, Kings Domain, Melbourne, VIC | 12.15pm | Roulettes |
| City of Subiaco, WA | Rankin Gardens, Subiaco, WA | 08.15am | 1 x Pilatus PC-21 |
| Geelong, VIC | Geelong Festival of Sails, Royal Geelong Yacht Club, VIC | 3.00pm | 1 x Pilatus PC-21 or Roulettes (TBC) |
| Adelaide, SA | Elder Park, Adelaide | 6.00 – 6.10pm | P-8A Poseidon |
| Sydney NSW | Sydney Harbour Bridge | 12.02 pm | F-35A Lightning II |
