More On F-35 Lightning II - Joint Strike Fighter

It's official: top Pentagon officials will not clear the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter for full-rate production this year.

The Air Force wants to create a combat-ready fighter jet in just five years.

Problems integrating parts of the Joint Simulation Environment are keeping the aircraft from reaching expanded production.

Officials said F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler fleets each "stand above" the 80% readiness goal.

Turkey was barred from the F-35 program after it decided to purchase the Russian S-400 missile.

Turkey has been banned from purchasing the F-35 after buying the Russian-made S-400 missile system.

The existing lighting system was too bright, making it difficult for boom operators to observe the refueling process.

The Air Force Thunderbirds, Navy Blue Angels and F-35s will also put on a show along the Hudson River on Aug. 22.

The Air Force this month tested how swiftly it could move an F-35 to a forward operating location in the Middle East.

As one chief warrant officer put it, they showed how Marines in the Pacific can now "rain destruction like never before."