F-001 (FMS 09-5008) took the skies for the first time on 6 Aug'12, and was delivered to the Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu, Royal Netherlands Air Force) on 25 July 2013, even before the Dutch government decided for an F-35 order! It was assigned to the 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron at Eglin AFB (FL) and carried the (USAF) OT tailcode during its test program. After the 31st TES, the F-35A was transferred to Edwards AFB (CA) where it joined the 323 Test Squadron. Here it is seen blasting away over the Edwards runway for another test mission.

Overlooking the Armstrong Flight Research Center.

ex RNZAF serial NZ6218

A slightly modified F-16D about to touch-down at the massive runway of Edwards.

This F-16B (FMS 78-0210) was delivered to the RDAF on 30 Sep'81. It served Esk 723, later Esk 726 and Esk 727, before it received a Mid-Life Update in the early 2000s. It was redelivered to Esk 726 and served with that unit until it was disbanded on 31 December 2005. Via Esk 727 it was moved to the US and assigned to the 461st Flight Test Squadron for the Joint Strike Fighter Test Support. It crash-landed on 23 June 2011 on a lakebed at Edwards and suffered unspecified damage, repaired by September 2011. It eventually returned to Denmark on 9 December 2016, serving with Esk 730 to June 2019 when it became an instructional airframe at Skrydstrup.

A Fiscal Year 2010 F-35B from the Low Rate Initial Production 4 (LRIP 4). The Bravo was first flown on 15 October 2012 and delivered to the US Marine Corps in that same month.