{"id":2523989,"date":"2026-06-23T15:11:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T13:11:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/switzerland-first-f35a-main-assembly-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T16:59:44","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T14:59:44","slug":"switzerland-first-f35a-main-assembly-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/switzerland-first-f35a-main-assembly-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Switzerland&rsquo;s First F-35A Is Now Being Built &mdash; As the Order Shrinks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style><\/p>\r\n<p>It is officially happening: the first jet that will one day wear a Swiss cross is now bolted together on a factory floor in Georgia. After years of votes, lawsuits and price rows, Switzerland's <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-35-lightning-ii\">F-35A<\/a> has stopped being a PowerPoint slide and started being an aircraft.<\/p>\r\n<p>On 28 May 2026, Lockheed Martin confirmed that the first Swiss F-35A had entered main assembly at its Center Wing Assembly line in Marietta, Georgia. For a project that has been fought over harder than almost any procurement in modern Swiss history, that is a genuinely big deal.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background: #f4f6f9; border-radius: 8px; padding: 18px 22px; margin: 22px 0;\">\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 10px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 16px; color: #222;\">Quick Facts<\/p>\r\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 15px; width: 100%;\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 14px 6px 0; font-weight: 600; color: #333; vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap;\">Milestone<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 0; color: #444;\">First Swiss F-35A enters main assembly (May 2026)<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 14px 6px 0; font-weight: 600; color: #333; vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap;\">Where built<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 0; color: #444;\">Lockheed Martin, Marietta, Georgia<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 14px 6px 0; font-weight: 600; color: #333; vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap;\">First 8 jets<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 0; color: #444;\">To Ebbing ANGB, Arkansas \u2014 mid-2027, for pilot training<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 14px 6px 0; font-weight: 600; color: #333; vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap;\">In Switzerland<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 0; color: #444;\">Aircraft arriving from 2028<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 14px 6px 0; font-weight: 600; color: #333; vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap;\">Later jets<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 0; color: #444;\">Final assembly at the Cameri FACO, Italy<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 14px 6px 0; font-weight: 600; color: #333; vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap;\">Order now<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 0; color: #444;\">~30 F-35As (cut from 36) amid a fixed-price dispute<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top: 22px;\">What just happened in Georgia<\/h2>\r\n<p>The milestone is the center wing assembly \u2014 the largest single structural component of the F-35 and roughly a quarter of the fuselage. It is where the wings eventually bolt on. In other words: this is the spine of Switzerland's first stealth fighter, and it now exists.<\/p>\r\n<p>Lockheed says the jet will spend the next year working its way through manufacturing on a line it claims churns out airpower faster than any other allied fighter in production, drawing on more than 2,000 suppliers worldwide.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin: 0 0 24px;\"><img data-opt-id=588562807  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" style=\"display: block; width: 100%!important; max-width: 100%!important; height: auto!important; border-radius: 6px;\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/f-35a-conventional-takeoff-variant-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"F-35A in flight\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" \/>\r\n<figcaption style=\"font-size: 13px; color: #777; text-align: center; margin-top: 6px; font-style: italic;\">The conventional-takeoff F-35A \u2014 the variant Switzerland chose under Air2030. Swiss pilots will first train in Arkansas. Photo: U.S. Air Force \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; margin: 24px 0;\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: 0; border-radius: 8px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7DE3pxhR7qk\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-no-lazy=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size: 13px; color: #777; text-align: center; font-style: italic; margin-top: -8px;\">Inside Lockheed Martin\u2019s F-35 production line \u2014 where Switzerland\u2019s first jet is now taking shape.<\/p>\r\n<p>Here is the part that surprises people: Switzerland's first jets will not come home first. The first eight Swiss F-35As are slated to land at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas, in mid-2027, where Swiss pilots and ground crews will train alongside other F-35 customers. Aircraft only start arriving in Switzerland from 2028.<\/p>\r\n<p>And not every Swiss jet will be American-built. Under the offset arrangement Bern negotiated, a large share of the fleet will be finally assembled at the Cameri FACO line in Italy \u2014 the European final-assembly site run with Leonardo that also builds jets for Italy and the Netherlands.<\/p>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top: 22px;\">The catch: a smaller fleet<\/h2>\r\n<p>While the factory hums, the order has been quietly shrinking. In December 2025, the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport announced it could no longer afford all 36 jets at the price it expected \u2014 and signalled it would buy the maximum number that fits inside the approved CHF 6 billion budget. By March 2026 that number had firmed up at around 30 aircraft, six fewer than planned.<\/p>\r\n<p>The trigger was a roughly $610 million price increase and a bruising row over what \"fixed price\" actually meant. Switzerland had always insisted the CHF 6 billion was locked in. Washington, it turned out, did not quite agree.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background: #f8f9fa; border-left: 4px solid #5C91FF; padding: 20px 22px; margin: 18px 0 24px; border-radius: 0 8px 8px 0; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.7;\"><em>\u201cTalks held with the US in the summer revealed that Switzerland cannot enforce the contractually agreed fixed price for the F-35A fighter jet. The US cites increased costs due to inflation, rising raw material prices, and other factors.\u201d<\/em>\r\n<div style=\"margin-top: 10px; font-size: 14px; color: #555;\"><strong>Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS)<\/strong> \u2014 statement, December 2025<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>The DDPS put it bluntly: due to foreseeable additional costs, it was no longer financially viable to maintain the originally planned number of aircraft. A US defense official, for his part, pointed to fine print confirming that the jets would be bought under fixed-price contracts, but that the estimated price \"may differ from the actual contract price.\" Not exactly the iron-clad ceiling Swiss voters were sold.<\/p>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top: 22px;\">The Patriot complication<\/h2>\r\n<p>The F-35 isn't the only American hardware giving Bern a headache. The same procurement squeeze runs alongside Switzerland's Patriot air-defence order, which is facing delays \u2014 reported to run to several years \u2014 pushing Switzerland to weigh European and other long-range missile alternatives. When you are renegotiating one big US defence deal, a wobble on the next one tends to focus the mind.<\/p>\r\n<p>Lockheed Martin, unsurprisingly, is keeping the tone upbeat.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background: #f8f9fa; border-left: 4px solid #5C91FF; padding: 20px 22px; margin: 18px 0 24px; border-radius: 0 8px 8px 0; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.7;\"><em>\u201cWe value our partnership with Swiss government and industry and are committed to delivering the world's most advanced fighter jet, the F-35A Lightning II, to Switzerland. Components of Switzerland's first F-35 recently started production.\u201d<\/em>\r\n<div style=\"margin-top: 10px; font-size: 14px; color: #555;\"><strong>Lockheed Martin spokesperson<\/strong> \u2014 statement to Breaking Defense, December 2025<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top: 22px;\">The bottom line<\/h2>\r\n<p>So where does that leave Switzerland? With a real jet on a real assembly line, a training plan that runs through Arkansas, a chunk of the fleet destined to be built in Italy \u2014 and a fleet that is now smaller and more expensive per aircraft than the version voters narrowly approved back in 2020.<\/p>\r\n<p>For a country that prides itself on getting a fixed price and sticking to it, the F-35 saga has been an education in how \"fixed\" defence contracts really work. The first Swiss Lightning is being born regardless. Now Bern just has to count how many siblings it can afford.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-size: 13px; color: #888; font-style: italic; margin-top: 18px;\">Sources: Lockheed Martin \/ f35.com (28 May 2026); Defence Industry Europe; Breaking Defense; Aviation Week; The Aviationist; Swiss DDPS.<\/p>\r\n<!-- mf-faq -->\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"mf-faq-block\"><style>.mf-faq-block{margin:34px 0}.mf-faq-item:not([open]) .mf-faq-answer{display:none !important}.mf-faq-block h2.mf-faq-h{padding-top:22px;margin-bottom:14px}.mf-faq-item{border:1px solid #e2e8f5;border-radius:8px;margin:0 0 10px;background:#fff}.mf-faq-item summary{list-style:none;cursor:pointer;padding:15px 50px 15px 18px;font-weight:600;color:#1a1a1a;position:relative;line-height:1.45;user-select:none}.mf-faq-item summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mf-faq-item summary::after{content:\"+\";position:absolute;right:18px;top:50%;transform:translateY(-50%);font-size:1.5em;font-weight:400;color:#5C91FF;line-height:1}.mf-faq-item[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mf-faq-item[open] summary{border-bottom:1px solid #eef1f8}.mf-faq-item summary:hover{background:#f5f8ff}.mf-faq-answer{padding:14px 18px;color:#333;line-height:1.6}.mf-faq-answer p{margin:0}.mf-faq-answer a{color:#5C91FF}<\/style>\r\n<h2 class=\"mf-faq-h\">Related Questions<\/h2>\r\n<details class=\"mf-faq-item\">\r\n<summary>When will Switzerland get its first F-35A?<\/summary>\r\n<div class=\"mf-faq-answer\">\r\n<p>Switzerland's first F-35A entered main assembly in May 2026 at Lockheed Martin's plant in Marietta, Georgia. The first eight jets are to go to Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas around mid-2027 for pilot training, with aircraft arriving in Switzerland from 2028. Later jets will undergo final assembly at the Cameri facility in Italy.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\">\r\n<summary>How many F-35s did Switzerland order?<\/summary>\r\n<div class=\"mf-faq-answer\">\r\n<p>Switzerland's order now stands at around 30 F-35As, reduced from the originally planned 36 amid a dispute over the contract's pricing. The country selected the conventional F-35A to replace its ageing <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/fa-18-hornet\">F\/A-18<\/a> Hornet and <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/northrop-f-5\">F-5<\/a> Tiger fleets after a narrow 2020 public vote approved the purchase.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\">\r\n<summary>Where are Switzerland's F-35 jets being built?<\/summary>\r\n<div class=\"mf-faq-answer\">\r\n<p>The first Swiss F-35A is being assembled at Lockheed Martin's facility in Marietta, Georgia, where the center wing - the largest single structural component - is built. Later Swiss jets are slated for final assembly at the Cameri FACO line in Italy. Initial pilot training will run from Ebbing Air National Guard Base in <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/f-22-raptor-finnish-f-35-training-ebbing-2026\/\">Arkansas<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\">\r\n<summary>Why did Switzerland's F-35 order shrink?<\/summary>\r\n<div class=\"mf-faq-answer\">\r\n<p>Switzerland trimmed its planned buy from 36 to around 30 jets amid a dispute over whether the deal was a fixed price. Swiss officials had treated the agreement as fixed-price, but cost pressures led to the reduction. Despite the row, assembly of the first aircraft began in 2026, keeping the program on track.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\">\r\n<summary>What aircraft will the F-35 replace in Switzerland?<\/summary>\r\n<div class=\"mf-faq-answer\">\r\n<p>The F-35A is set to replace Switzerland's ageing F\/A-18 Hornets and its older Northrop F-5 Tiger fleet, modernising the air force with a single fifth-generation stealth type. The purchase was narrowly approved by Swiss voters in a 2020 referendum, and the first jet entered assembly in May 2026.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/details><\/div>\r\n<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"When will Switzerland get its first F-35A?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Switzerland's first F-35A entered main assembly in May 2026 at Lockheed Martin's plant in Marietta, Georgia. The first eight jets are to go to Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas around mid-2027 for pilot training, with aircraft arriving in Switzerland from 2028. Later jets will undergo final assembly at the Cameri facility in Italy.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How many F-35s did Switzerland order?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Switzerland's order now stands at around 30 F-35As, reduced from the originally planned 36 amid a dispute over the contract's pricing. The country selected the conventional F-35A to replace its ageing F\/A-18 Hornet and F-5 Tiger fleets after a narrow 2020 public vote approved the purchase.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Where are Switzerland's F-35 jets being built?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The first Swiss F-35A is being assembled at Lockheed Martin's facility in Marietta, Georgia, where the center wing - the largest single structural component - is built. Later Swiss jets are slated for final assembly at the Cameri FACO line in Italy. Initial pilot training will run from Ebbing Air National Guard Base in <a href=\\\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/f-22-raptor-finnish-f-35-training-ebbing-2026\/\\\">Arkansas<\/a>.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why did Switzerland's F-35 order shrink?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Switzerland trimmed its planned buy from 36 to around 30 jets amid a dispute over whether the deal was a fixed price. Swiss officials had treated the agreement as fixed-price, but cost pressures led to the reduction. 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The purchase was narrowly approved by Swiss voters in a 2020 referendum, and the first jet entered assembly in May 2026.\"}}]}<\/script><!-- \/mf-faq -->\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background: #f0f4ff; border-left: 4px solid #5C91FF; padding: 16px 20px; margin: 32px 0 8px; border-radius: 0 8px 8px 0;\">\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 8px; font-weight: 600; color: #333;\">Related Posts<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 4px 0;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/turkey-f35-class-engine-kaan-tf35000\/\">Turkey Says It\u2019s Building an F-35-Class Jet Engine<\/a><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Switzerland&rsquo;s first F-35A has entered main assembly at Lockheed&rsquo;s Marietta plant &mdash; even as a cost row cuts the order from 36 jets to about 30.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":2523859,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2523989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Swiss F-35A: First Jet in Assembly as Order Shrinks<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The first Swiss F-35A entered main assembly at Lockheed&#039;s Marietta line on 28 May 2026 \u2014 a milestone for Switzerland&#039;s most contested buy.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/switzerland-first-f35a-main-assembly-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Swiss F-35A: First Jet in Assembly as Order Shrinks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The first Swiss F-35A entered main assembly at Lockheed&#039;s Marietta line on 28 May 2026 \u2014 a milestone for Switzerland&#039;s most contested buy.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/switzerland-first-f35a-main-assembly-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-23T13:11:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-21T14:59:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/f-35a-lightning-ii-switzerland-type.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1772\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1271\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/switzerland-first-f35a-main-assembly-2026\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/switzerland-first-f35a-main-assembly-2026\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8de428a67c070c9b49afaa026328a4e3\"},\"headline\":\"Switzerland&rsquo;s First F-35A Is Now Being Built &mdash; 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