Japan Air Defense Force Rolls Out First F-35 Fighter Jet

The roll out of the first Japan Air Self Defense Force F-35 jet took place during a ceremony at a Lockheed Martin production facility.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The roll out of the first Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) F-35 jet took place during a ceremony at a Lockheed Martin production facility in Fort Worth, Texas, the defense giant said in a press release on Friday.

"Senior Japanese and US government officials joined Lockheed Martin to celebrate the roll out of the first Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) F-35A Lightning II," the release stated.

JASDF Chief of Air Staff Gen. Yoshiyuki Sugiyama said the F-35A has remarkably advanced system and the highly sophisticated fifth generation fighter will bring a great development to air operations as a "game changer."

"In integration with current JASDF assets, it surely promises to enormously contribute to not only the benefit of our national defense but also regional stability," Sugiyama noted.

Japan’s F-35 program includes 42 F-35A conventional take-off and landing aircraft, acquired through the US government’s Foreign Military Sales program, the release pointed out.

The first four aircraft are to be built in Fort Worth and the remaining 38 aircraft at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Final Assembly and Check-Out facility in Nagoya, Japan.