F-35A makes Paris air show debut.

• Author: Tadjdeh, Yasmin
• Position: News Briefs

PARIS--With much fanfare, the F-35A joint strike fighter made its world aerial demonstration debut at the Paris Air Show June 19.

The Air Force--which sent two aircraft from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, to France--landed in Paris on June 13. The aircraft flew for the first time in an international air show over Le Bourget Airport.

The occasion marked an important milestone for the aircraft, said Col. Todd Canterbury, director of the Air Force's F-35 integration office.

"The F-35's participation in the Paris Air Show is a clear signal of U.S. support to our NATO allies and coalition partners," he told reporters during a briefing hours before the plane flew. "It demonstrates our vested interest in security and stability across Europe and the fact that no nation confronts today's security challenges alone."

Lockheed Martin pilots flew the F-35s participating in the Paris Air Show, Canterbury said. The...