First F-35s Arrive in the Philippines as U.S. Escalates Military Containment of China

First F-35s Arrive in the Philippines as U.S. Escalates Military Containment of China

The U.S. Air Force has made its first ever deployment of F-35A fifth generation fighter aircraft to the Philippines, with the aircraft landing at Clark Air Base in Pampanga as part of the bilateral Cope Thunder Philippines aerial combat exercise. The exercise involves more than 2,500 personnel, including approximately 225 U.S. Pacific Air Forces crew and 2,301 Philippine Air Force personnel. The Philippines is the United States’ only major strat…