Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Brig. Gen. Scott Pleus, the 56th Fighter Wing commander, lands the flagship F-35 Lightning ll at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., April 28, 2015. The flagship's arrival coincides with the start of Luke’s F-35 student pilot training, which begins in May. Luke now has 20 U.S. F-35s and two from the Royal Australian Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Devante Williams)Luke commander brings home flagship F-35
                        
                        
                        Brig. Gen. Scott Pleus, the 56th Fighter Wing commander, lands the flagship F-35 Lightning ll at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., April 28, 2015. The flagship's arrival coincides with the start of Luke’s F-35 student pilot training, which begins in May. Luke now has 20 U.S. F-35s and two from the Royal Australian Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Devante Williams)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Brig. Gen. Scott Pleus, the 56th Fighter Wing commander, speaks with U.K. and Arizona-based media outlets after landing the flagship F-35 Lightning ll at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., April 28, 2015. The flagship's arrival coincides with the start of Luke’s F-35 student pilot training, which begins in May. Luke now has 20 U.S. F-35s and two from the Royal Australian Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Devante Williams)Luke commander brings home flagship F-35
                        
                        
                        Brig. Gen. Scott Pleus, the 56th Fighter Wing commander, speaks with U.K. and Arizona-based media outlets after landing the flagship F-35 Lightning ll at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., April 28, 2015. The flagship's arrival coincides with the start of Luke’s F-35 student pilot training, which begins in May. Luke now has 20 U.S. F-35s and two from the Royal Australian Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Devante Williams)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Brig. Gen. Scott Pleus, the 56th Fighter Wing commander, lands the flagship F-35 Lightning ll at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., April 28, 2015. The flagship's arrival coincides with the start of Luke’s F-35 student pilot training, which begins in May. Luke now has 20 U.S. F-35s and two from the Royal Australian Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Devante Williams)Luke commander brings home flagship F-35
                        
                        
                        Brig. Gen. Scott Pleus, the 56th Fighter Wing commander, lands the flagship F-35 Lightning ll at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., April 28, 2015. The flagship's arrival coincides with the start of Luke’s F-35 student pilot training, which begins in May. Luke now has 20 U.S. F-35s and two from the Royal Australian Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Devante Williams)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Luke commander brings home flagship F-35Published April 30, 2015
                    
                    By Capt. Ryan DeCamp
                    
                    
                    56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
            **LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. (AFNS) --**The 56th Fighter Wing flagship F-35 Lightning II arrived at Luke Air Force Base April 28, it was the base's 22nd F-35.
Flying the aircraft from Lockheed Martin's Forth Worth, Texas, plant to Arizona was Brig. Gen. Scott Pleus, the 56th FW commander. The tail number for the aircraft is 5056 and the last two numbers represent the 56th FW.
"The flagship's arrival is significant for Luke because it serves as a sign of our identity in who we are and what we're here to do," Pleus said. "Next month we'll officially change our mission to training the world's best F-35 and F-16 (Fighting Falcon) pilots while deploying mission-ready warfighters. This jet represents the fact that we prepare Airmen to defend our country around the world wherever we're called."
The flagship's arrival coincides with the beginning of the first class of F-35 students that will begin in May. Pleus served as the wing's first official student so he could help refine and validate the training program for future students.
Luke will receive 144 F-35s comprising six squadrons by 2024. The Glendale, Arizona, base now has 20 U.S. F-35s and two from the Royal Australian Air Force. All 22 aircraft are part of the 61st Fighter Squadron.
The 62nd FS will be the base's second F-35 squadron. It is scheduled to stand up in June and begin flying in September. That unit will host pilots from Norway and Italy. Overall, 11 countries will train at Luke on the Lightning II.
"It's a busy time for Luke, but I couldn't be prouder of the work our Airmen are doing in setting the Air Force up for success," Pleus said. "The arrival of our flagship is another sign the 56th will be looked upon to train the best F-35 pilots for the U.S. and our allies for decades to come, as we've done in the F-16 since 1982.”F-35 



Luke AFB 



ACC 



56th Fighter Wing 



Joint Strike Fighter 



F-35 Lightning II Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                SecAF, CSAF, CMSAF begin Indo-Pacific trip focused on ACE
                    
                    DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fightInnovation
                F-16s arrive to be modified for autonomous testing
                    
                    AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalistsMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil