In 2007, the 187th Fighter Wing’s 160th Fighter Squadron was re-designated as the 100th Fighter Squadron so that the state of Alabama could continue to honor the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen. The 187th Fighter Wing received its first three F-35s in December, 2023. It will receive another five aircraft as loans from other Air Force units to enable training for the entire maintenance and pilot force. The additional new-build aircraft deliveries from Lockheed Martin’s assembly line will begin later in 2024.

Designed to meet the US Military’s requirement for a multi-role Joint Strike Fighter, the F-35 was first flown on December 15, 2006. This single-seat fighter is one of the most advanced aircraft of our time, said to be four times more effective at air-to-air combat and eight times more effective at air-to-ground combat than any other existing aircraft. It uses a low-maintenance stealth technology, and some versions have an innovative Lift System, which gives the F-35 vertical take-off and landing capabilities. The US plans to buy a total of 2,443 F-35s at a cost of $323 billion, which makes the F-35 the most expensive defense program in history.

• Diecast metal construction with some plastic components.
• Realistic panel lines, antennas, access panels and surface details.
• Pad printed markings and placards that won’t fade or peel like decals.
• Opening canopies, revealing detailed cockpit interiors.
• Interchangeable extended/retracted landing gear.
• Authentic detachable ordnance loads complete with placards.
• Accurately detailed underside with concealed screwheads.