US, Asia-Pacific allies rolling out F-35 stealth fighter

FILE - This Sept. 2, 2015, file photo shows an F-35 jet arriving at its new operational base at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. The U.S. and its Asia-Pacific allies are rolling out their new stealth fighter jet, a cutting-edge plane that costs about $100 million each. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) (The Associated Press)

FILE - This Sept. 2, 2015 file photo shows an F-16, below, escorting two F-35 jets, above, after arriving the latter arrived at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. The U.S. and its Asia-Pacific allies are rolling out their new stealth fighter jet, a cutting-edge plane that costs about $100 million each. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) (The Associated Press)

HONOLULU – The U.S. and its Asia-Pacific allies are rolling out their new stealth fighter jet, a cutting-edge plane that costs about $100 million each.

The U.S. Air Force this week hosted allies and partners in Hawaii for a symposium on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Brig. Gen. Craig Wills says the radar-evading plane is replacing the A-10 and the F-16, but represents a "quantum leap" in air combat capability.

The U.S. Marine Corps in January deployed 10 of the planes to a base in Japan. The U.S. Air Force plans to station the jet in Alaska within three years.

Australia and Japan have already taken delivery of some of planes that they are using for pilot training in Arizona