Watch Out! The F-35 Fighter Demonstration Team is Ready For a New Season

Summary: The F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team, embodying the pinnacle of fifth-generation fighter technology, is set to dazzle audiences across the United States and Canada with their upcoming airshow season. Piloted by the elite of the U.S. Air Force, including newly appointed commander Capt. Melanie "MACH" Kluesner, the team will exhibit the F-35A's supermaneuverability through a series of complex aerobatic displays.

Sky-High Spectacle: F-35A Demonstration Team Gears Up for New Season

The fifth-generation Lockheed Martin F-35A remains the most advanced and capable aircraft in service today – but it should be noted that it is also operated by some of the world's best aviators. The very best of the best of those pilots make up the United States Air Force's F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team, which was founded in late 2018. Originally stationed at Luke Air Force Base (AFB), Arizona, it has operated out of Hill AFB since 2019.

The team has been preparing for its packed airshow season, which began earlier this month at Laughlin AFB, Texas. It will continue to perform at events across the United States and Canada, demonstrating the supermaneuverability of the F-35A. Examples of these demonstrations include the minimum radius turn to high alpha loop, weapons bay door pass, pedal turn, slow speed to power climb, and tactical pitch.

The F-35 Demo Team – Under New Leadership

It was also announced that U.S. Air Force Capt. Melanie "MACH" Kluesner, an F-35A Lightning II pilot assigned to the 421st Fighter Squadron, became the new certified pilot and commander of the F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team during the Air Combat Command Heritage Flight Training Course at Davis-Monthan AFB.

MACH comes from a military family and was inspired at a young age by her parents, both of whom were U.S. Air Force pilots, to become a fighter pilot.

"When I was growing up, I really appreciated my parents, family members and friends who believed in me and encouraged me to follow my dream of becoming a fighter pilot," said Kluesner. "My dad was the Pacific Air Force's F-16 Fighting Falcon demo pilot in the 1980's and my mom was the first graduating class of women from the Air Force Academy. She graduated pilot training as fighter qualified, but at that time women weren't allowed to fly fighters. My parents are a huge inspiration to me and have some incredible stories from their careers."

Her mother flew KC-135s, while her uncle also flew the C-130s – but it could be said that the military and aviation are in her blood, as her maternal grandparents were a nurse and aircraft mechanic for the Air Force.

Following graduation from the University of Southern California, Kluesner was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force in 2014. As a veteran combat fighter pilot, she has more than 1,000 hours of experience in a variety of aircraft, including T-6A Texan II, T-38 Talon, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-35B, and F-35A Lightning II.

"It was a long road to get to where I am and there is nothing more rewarding than doing a job you love for something that's bigger than yourself," said Kluesner. "Being the demo pilot means spreading that message to the next generation and I'm really excited for the airshow season to begin."

F-35 Team Demonstrations

As the F-35A Demo Team commander, MACH is responsible for a traveling team of 14 maintainers and supporting personnel, while the team showcases the capabilities of the combat-proven F-35. The team's season continues this month at Luke AFB and will include 19 attention events – concluding at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Florida, in November.

The highlight of the year is certainly the Hill AFB, June 29-30, which will also see demonstrations from the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the United States Special Operations Command Para-Commandos. This year's event is centered on the Breaking Barriers Together theme, highlighting the close-knit Air Force community.

"Most shows are only 2-3 hours long, but we decided many years ago we wanted a two-day, 6-hours-long show to really show off aviation to the Utah community," said Kevin Ireland, executive director of The Utah Air Show Foundation. "We are one of the largest in the west and perhaps on any military installation- definitely the largest event in Utah."

While it promises to be quite the event, it might be hard to top the demonstrations from the F-35A team.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.