On N?v. 18, t?? U.S. ??v??nm?nt ?n? L?ck???? M??tin s??mitt?? ?n F-35 ?????s?l t? t?? Swiss ??v??nm?nt in s?????t ?? Switz??l?n?’s N?w Fi??t?? Ai?c???t (NFA) c?m??titi?n. T?? F-35 ?????s?l is ? t?t?l ??ck??? ?????in? t??t incl???s ?? t? 40 F-35A ?i?c???t, ? s?st?inm?nt s?l?ti?n t?il???? t? Swiss ??t?n?m? ????i??m?nts, ?n? ? c?m?????nsiv? t??inin? ??????m. T?? ?????in? incl???s ?n in??st?i?l ??ck??? ???vi?in? Swiss in??st?? s??st?nti?l F-35 w??k ?????t?niti?s. S???l? t?? F-35 ?? s?l?ct?? ?s t?? n?w ?i??t?? ??? Switz??l?n?, t?is in??st?i?l w??k w??l? t?k? ?l?c? in ?ll Swiss ???i?ns. Swiss in??st?? ??s t?? ?????t?nit? t? c?m??t? ??? ?i??ct ?????cti?n ?? c?m??n?nts ??? ?s? ?n ?ll F-35s ?????c??, s?st?inm?nt ???j?cts ??c?s?? ?n s?????tin? t?? Swiss Ai? F??c? ?n? ?n??ncin? Swiss ??t?n?m?, ?n? c???? s?c??it? ???j?cts ?i??ctl? ??l?t?? t? t?? F-35.
“W? ??? c?n?i??nt t??t ??? F-35 ????? is t?? ??st ?n? m?st ????????l? s?l?ti?n ??? t?? Swiss NFA c?m??titi?n,” s?i? G??? Ulm??, F-35 P?????m vic? ???si??nt ?n? ??n???l m?n????. “W? ??? ?????in? t?? ?nl? 5t? ??n???ti?n ?i??t?? ?t t?? c?st ?? 4t? ??n???ti?n ?i?c???t w?il? ?????in? Switz??l?n? ?n ?i?c???t t??t will ???t?ct Swiss s?v???i?nt? ??? ??c???s t? c?m?.”
T?? ????? ?s?s t?? F-35 Gl???l S?????t S?l?ti?n ??? s?st?inm?nt t? ?ns??? Switz??l?n? ??n??its ???m t?? E??????n F-35 ?c?n?mi?s ?? sc?l? t? ???liz? l?w?? s?st?inm?nt c?sts ??? t?? Swiss Ai? F??c?. It ?ls? incl???s ? six-m?nt? s????s ??ck??? t? ?ns??? t?? Swiss Ai? F??c? ??s t?? ??ilit? t? c?n??ct ??t?n?m??s ?????ti?ns, i? n?????. L?ck???? M??tin is ?ls? ?????in? ?n ??ti?n ??? t?? ?ss?m?l? ?? ???? ?i?c???t in Switz??l?n? t? ?ns??? t?? Swiss Ai? F??c? ?n? Swiss in??st?? ??in ?n ?n???st?n?in? ?? ??w t? m?int?in t?? F-35 ?i????m? ?n? its ??v?nc?? c????iliti?s ??? t?? li?? ?? t?? ??????m. T? ??t?, t?? F-35 ??s ???n s?l?ct?? ?? 13 n?ti?ns ?n? ?????t?s ???m 26 ??s?s w??l?wi??, wit? nin? n?ti?ns ?????tin? F-35s ?n t??i? ??m? s?il. T???? ??? m??? t??n 585 F-35s in s??vic? t????, wit? m??? t??n 1,190 ?il?ts ?n? 9,750 m?int?in??s t??in?? ?n t?? ?i?c???t.
H???????t???? in B?t??s??, M???l?n?, L?ck???? M??tin is ? ?l???l s?c??it? ?n? ????s??c? c?m??n? t??t ?m?l??s ?????xim?t?l? 110,000 ????l? w??l?wi?? ?n? is ??inci??ll? ?n????? in t?? ??s???c?, ??si?n, ??v?l??m?nt, m?n???ct???, int????ti?n ?n? s?st?inm?nt ?? ??v?nc?? t?c?n?l??? s?st?ms, ?????cts ?n? s??vic?s.
L?ck???? M??tin F-35 Li??tnin? II(F??m t?? t??) L?ck???? M??tin F-35A ?? t?? 33?? FW, F-35B ?? VMFAT-501 ?n? F-35C ?? VFA-101 n??? E?lin E?lin Ai? F??c? B?s? (AFB).