Royal Canadian Air Force F-35 Lightning II Delivered

The Royal Canadian Air Force received its first two CF-35A fighters, the Canadian designation of the F-35A Lightning II, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, on 22 October 2026, the service announced the following day. The aircraft will stay at Luke to train Canadian pilots and maintainers: the first eight Canadian jets are to be based there, and the first arrivals in Canada are expected in 2028. Canada approved the acquisition of 88 aircraft in January 2023 to replace its CF-18 Hornets, with initial operational capability planned for the end of 2030; a government review of the full purchase, ordered in March 2025, was still under way in May 2026, according to the Department of National Defence.