MELBOURNE, Fla., Jan. 09, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The 2019 Melbourne Air & Space Show will feature the North American debut of the U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II Demo Team when it returns to Orlando Melbourne International Airport, March 30-31.

The F-35 Lightning II, also known as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, is the most advanced fighter aircraft flying in the world today. 2019 is the first year a full capabilities demo of the F-35 will be flown by the U.S. military and Melbourne will be the first place where the world can see it.

The F-35 is a fifth generation, single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth fighter flown by three branches of the U.S. Department of Defense. It is designed to perform ground attack, aerial intelligence and air defense missions. There are three variants, the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing model used by the Air Force, the F-35B short take-off and vertical-landing (STOVL) model used by the Marine Corps and the F-35C carrier-based model used by the Navy.

“We are honored that Melbourne has been chosen by the U.S. Air Force as the first place in the hemisphere to perform a full demonstration of the F-35,” said Bryan Lilley, Chairman of the National Air, Sea and Space Foundation, organizer of the show. “We have had quite a run in just six years hosting the Thunderbirds, Blue Angels, two foreign military teams, the North American debut of the Airbus A400M and now the debut of the F-35 Demo Team.”

Northrop Grumman will be the title sponsor of the 2019 Melbourne Air & Space Show, returning for the sixth consecutive year.

“We are excited to continue our sponsorship with this amazing show,” said Bob Klein, Vice President of Engineering for the Manned Aircraft Design center in Melbourne. “This is a significant event for the area and a great opportunity for us to get to connect with our community. With Northrop Grumman a principal member of the F-35 team, we believe our employees and attendees will enjoy seeing it in action. And, in the coming weeks, we plan to announce an additional top-tier performance aircraft for the show.”

Sponsorship opportunities and corporate hospitality packages are available and volunteer registration is now open for the event. For more information on the show or the F-35 Lightning II Demo Team please visit http://airandspaceshow.com/.

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SOURCE The 2019 Melbourne Air & Space Show