The Israel Air Force declared its F-35 fleet operationally capable on December 6, 2017.

The US Air Force on Tuesday declared its first squadron of F-35As ready for battle.

Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia

U.S. Air Force test pilot, Maj. Raven LeClair, employed an AIM-9X missile from an F-35A's external wing against an aerial drone target in restricted military sea test range airspace

During a recent exercise, F-35 squadrons wanted to practice evading surface-to-air threats. There was just one problem: No one on the ground could track the plane.

The Air Force’s first F-35 squadron has completed all preparations necessary to declare the joint strike fighter combat capable, and sources say an initial operating capability declaration could be made early next week.

​‘It is doing spectacular’, said Carlisle of the F-35A.

As the F-35 makes its international debut in the United Kingdom this week, a top U.S. Air Force general says there are no major hurdles to the service declaring the F-35A operational close to its target date of Aug. 1.

The first off-station deployment exercise for the F-35A Lightning II confirmed that the Air Force’s newest fighter jet is on track to reach initial operational capability later this year.

There are no known technical issues that would prevent declaration of initial operational capability in window starting Aug. 1 and going through Dec.