Canada’s first F-35A fighter jet completed its maiden flight

Dylan Malyasov, writing in Defence Blog:

Canada’s first F-35A fighter jet completed its maiden flight Sept. 23, taking off from Lockheed Martin’s production facility in Fort Worth, Texas. The aircraft, which carries the construction number AR-1 and will be designated CF-35A once in Royal Canadian Air Force service, flew with an F-35C acting as a safety chase plane.

The jet already carries its full Royal Canadian Air Force markings, including the bilingual RCAF-ARC lettering on its air intakes and a roundel matching those used on the CF-188 Hornet it is meant to replace. Unlike the ceremony Canada held in February to mark the start of final assembly on this same aircraft, Sept. 23’s flight passed without an official announcement from Lockheed Martin, the RCAF, or the prime minister’s office. The RCAF confirmed the flight took place but did not issue a statement.