On January 12, 2024, the 187th Fighter Wing unveiled the first ever heritage painted F-35A Lightning II in the United States Air Force honoring the Tuskegee Airmen, Red Tails at Dannelly Field, Alabama. The blackboard of the F-35 was painted to honor the Tuskegee Airmen, Red Tails. Back in WWII, The Tuskegee Airmen painted their tails red to distinguish from friend and foe. In 2007, the wing's 160th Fighter Squadron was re-designated as the 100th Fighter Squadron so that the state of Alabama could continue to honor the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen.

The 187th Fighter Wing received its first three F-35s in December, 2023. It will receive another five aircraft as loans from other Air Force units to enable training for the entire maintenance and pilot force. The additional new-build aircraft deliveries from Lockheed Martin's assembly line will begin later in 2024.

Designed to meet the US Military's requirement for a multi-role Joint Strike Fighter, the F-35 was first flown on December 15, 2006. This single-seat fighter is one of the most advanced aircraft of our time, said to be four times more effective at air-to-air combat and eight times more effective at air-to-ground combat than any other existing aircraft. It uses a low-maintenance stealth technology, and some versions have an innovative Lift System, which gives the F-35 vertical take-off and landing capabilities. The US plans to buy a total of 2,443 F-35s at a cost of $323 billion, which makes the F-35 the most expensive defense program in history.

• Diecast metal construction with some plastic components.
• Realistic panel lines, antennas, access panels and surface details.
• Pad printed markings and placards that won't fade or peel like decals.
• Opening canopies, revealing detailed cockpit interiors.
• Interchangeable extended/retracted landing gear.
• Authentic detachable ordnance loads complete with placards.
• Accurately detailed underside with concealed screwheads.