Lockheed Martin’s F-35 continued to expand its global footprint and enhance operational capabilities in 2021, the company has reported.

Two new countries – Switzerland and Finland – selected the F-35 for their new fighter jet programs in 2021. Denmark received its first F-35 and the Royal Netherlands Air Force became the ninth nation to declare its F-35 fleet ready for initial operational capability.

“The F-35 joint enterprise team continues to provide unmatched combat capability to the 21st century battlespace through the F-35," said Bridget Lauderdale, vice president and general manager of the F-35 programme. "Providing unparalleled support to the growing fleet, participating in numerous Joint-All Domain exercises and meeting our delivery target during a global pandemic is no small feat while the F-35 was also chosen by Switzerland and Finland as their next fighter."

The F-35's operational performance remains strong. Some of the F-35A deployments and exercises demonstrated over 80% mission capable rates. As one of the most reliable aircraft in the US fighter fleet, 93% of F-35 parts are performing better than predicted.

In the last year, F-35s were part of four base and ship activations and participated in more than 60 deployments and detachments, including the first US Navy F-35C deployment aboard the USS Carl Vinson.

These programme achievements are enabled by employing digital technologies, which were vital to achieving 142 deliveries in 2021. Smart tools, connected machines and augmented realities all contribute to the delivery and sustainment of aircraft.

"Lockheed Martin is investing in digital technology that advances the F-35's fifth gen capabilities long after delivery," Lauderdale added. "We're embracing digital transformation to enable faster development and continuous deployment of software, using digital models and supercomputers to augment physical test data with simulation-based verification, and automating data processes to save time and glean insights that improve sustainment."

With more than 750 aircraft operating from 30 bases and ships around the globe, the F-35 plays a critical role in the integrated deterrence of the U.S. and our allies. More than 1,585 pilots and 11,545 maintainers are trained, and the F-35 fleet has flown nearly 470,000 cumulative flight hours. Nine nations have F-35s operating from a base on their home soil, 12 services have declared Initial Operational Capability and six services have employed F-35s in combat.

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