The first F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing was formally delivered in ceremonies at Luke AFB, Arizona, on 14 March 2014. Several hundred dignitaries, local civic leaders, wing military and civilian personnel attended the ceremony. The F-35A (Air Force serial number 11-5030) is the first of 144 F-35As scheduled for delivery to the base in Phoenix. Today’s official welcoming ceremony marks the delivery of the thirty-fifth F-35 to the US Air Force and the stand-up of the eighth F-35 base. In 2015, Luke AFB will begin training U.S. Air Force pilots and eventually pilots from international air forces.
