Defense contractor Lockheed Martin has announced that its global fleet of F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jets has logged 1 million flight hours.

The company and military leaders said Monday that the flight-hour milestone demonstrates the continued dominance of U.S. engineering in global airspace.

“It highlights the unwavering dedication of our pilots, maintainers, industry partners and our international partners and foreign military sales customers,” said Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael Schmidt, who oversees the military’s F-35 program. “This milestone is not just a testament to the F-35’s unmatched capability, but also the resilience and commitment of everyone involved in this program.”

Lockheed Martin said the F-35 global flight team has improved the jet’s capabilities over the 1 million flight hours. The F-35 — a fifth-generation, supersonic attack aircraft — first saw combat in November.

More than F-35s are in rotation around the globe, with the F-35A being the most popular, the defense contractor said.

The F-35 global flight team is focused on the next 1 million hours. Lockheed Martin said it hopes the team can integrate drone control capabilities into the future Collaborative Combat Aircraft fleet.

The milestone follows the announcement that Norway has received three new F-35 jets. Nine of the planes have been delivered to the Nordic country over the past three months, and three more will be delivered over the next six months. After the deliveries are completed, Norway will have just over 50 F-35s. 

The F-35 is becoming the standard NATO fighter, with most major countries in the European Union owning several of the jets. Lockheed Martin predicts there will be more than 600 F-35s operating in Europe by 2035.

• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.