An F-35 Lightning II of the Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing takes off from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, on June 14, 2023, during Air Defender 23. The Air Force Reserve will receive its first two F-35s when the aircraft roll off the Fort Worth production line and clear quality checks later in 2024. They will be operated by the 301st Reserve Fighter Wing, based out of Naval Air Station Fort Worth. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
(Tribune News Service) — It’s like switching from a rotary phone to an iPhone.
That’s how Col. Benjamin R. Harrison described the U.S. Air Force Reserve upgrading from the F-16 Fighting Falcon to the F-35 Lightning II.
Harrison along with other Air Force dignitaries and U.S. Reps. Kay Granger and Marc Veasey took part in a hull signing ceremony at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth plant Wednesday. The event was held in anticipation of the Air Force Reserve receiving its first two F-35s when the aircraft roll off the Fort Worth production line and clear quality checks later this year.
These first two F-35 fighter jets will be operated by the 301st Reserve Fighter Wing, based out of Naval Air Station Fort Worth.
Harrison, who commands the 301st, called the plane a “force multiplier,” and compared its capability to having a football quarterback in the sky.
Lt. Gen. John Healy, left, Brig. Gen. Regina Sabric, center, and Col. Benjamin R. Harrison of the Air Force Reserve Command expressed their excitement at the reserve getting its first two F-35s in late 2024. (Chris Torres, Fort Worth Star-Telegram/TNS)
The reserves receiving the F-35 also allows the service to stay up to date with the latest technology, said 10th Air Force commander Brig. Gen. Regina Sabric.
The Air Force fights as part of a coalition, so having the same aircraft across the coalition is important, she said.
The Reserve expects to get 26 F-35s, and has already started training pilots and maintenance crews at bases across the country, Harrison said.
Lockheed Martin has assembled F-35 fighter jets in Fort Worth since it was awarded the contract in 2001. It produces roughly 156 planes per year for 18 countries, including the United States.
The company is also Fort Worth’s largest employer with roughly 19,000 employees on the payroll.
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