The 63rd Fighter Squadron was reactivated at Luke Air Force base on August 1st 2016. The squadron will be the third unit to fly the Lockheed F-35AS Lightning II at the Arizona base.

The 63rd will act as a joint training unit between the United States Air Force and the Turkish Air Force, with Turkish pilots trained by US instructors on the type.

The unit joins similar multi-national training units at Luke involving the Norwegian, Italian and Australian air forces.

By 2022 Luke is expected to host 6 F-35 squadrons for a total of 144 aircraft.