Initial F-35 Stealth Fighters To Be Delivered In March

South Korea will take delivery of its first two F-35 fighter jets in Seoul in March, reports the South China Morning Post. 

The jets will be made available for combat operations in April or May, a South Korean military official said on Sunday. 

Additional F-35s will be delivered two at a time over the course of the year, with 10 to be handed over by end of 2019 a military source told the Korea Times. 

Korean pilots have received training on the advanced platform at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. 

In 2014, South Korea finalized a US$6.8 billion contract for 40 F-35 A conventional fighters. All 40 aircraft are slated for delivery 2021, reported the Yonhap news agency (Seoul).