Two US Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets will be sent to Britain to take part in two air shows this summer, the US Marine Corps says.
The move would mark a key milestone for the weapons program worth $391 billion after its international debut was thwarted in 2014, Press TV reported.
A fleetwide F-35 was ordered to be grounded following an engine fire at the annual Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) in 2014.
The incident also prevented its appearance at the biggest air show in Farnborough, outside London in the same year, which would have otherwise become the global premiere of the stealthy, supersonic new warplane.
Since then, an F-35 jet, which was assembled in Italy, has made its inaugural flight there, however, this summer's appearance at RIAT will be the first by the fighter jet at an international air show.
"The US Marine Corps is looking forward to demonstrating the capabilities of the F-35B Lightning II in the skies over the United Kingdom this July," Deputy Commandant for Aviation Lieutenant General Jon Davis told Reuters on Monday.
According to Davis, a joint US Marine Corps and UK detachment would utilize the flights in order to validate foreign deployment activities and to prove program interoperability.
He also said that the Pentagon's F-35 program office and Lockheed would be asked to support the work.
According to one source, Britain has planned to use at least one of the four F-35 jets it has already received at the shows. The British jets are presently training in the United States.
Lockheed is currently developing three models of the jet, known as the Joint Strike Fighter, or Lightning II, with major suppliers Northrop Grumman Corp and Britain's BAE Systems Plc. The engines are manufactured by Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp.
Britain along with other countries, including Norway, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Turkey, Italy and the Netherlands have helped fund development of the jets.
All but Canada and Denmark have since ordered jets, as have Israel, Japan and South Korea.
The F-35 program, which is the US Defense Department's single largest weapons project, encountered technical problems and cost overruns for years. However, US officials maintain that it has improved and that costs have decreased during the past five years.
The Marine Corp's F-35B model is capable of taking off from warships and aircraft carriers and landing like a helicopter.
During the UK event this summer, some US Air Force F-35 jets will also be used, sources familiar with the plans said.