Progress for Japanese F-35A programme

One of the first Japanese F-35A pilots lands 69-8702 (14-5115, AX-02) at Luke on June 2, during a graduation ceremony that involved the 944th FW and the 414th Fighter Group from Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina. Note the pilot’s Ninja-Sha (The Inner Lion) hand gesture. Nate Leong THE FIRST two Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) pilots have graduated from the F-35 training programme at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. They completed their training with the 944th Operations Group (OG) Detachment