The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter made its debut in Hawaii recently as the stealth aircraft described by the Air Force as the “fighter of the future” increasingly is deployed in the region — to the great worry of China.

In a sign of that growing fighter presence, Pacific Air Forces is holding a two-day inaugural symposium Tuesday and today in Hawaii that marks “the largest gathering of F-35 experts to include senior officers and warfighters from Japan, Australia, South Korea as well as the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force,” Pacific Air Forces said.

The goal of the discussions and briefings is “enhancing F-35 operations in the Pacific, sharing fifth-generation lessons learned, and building a foundation for future F-35 bilateral and multilateral engagements,” the Hawaii-based command said in a release.

“Fifth-generation” refers to latest-generation aircraft that have stealth, highly sophisticated sensors and advanced networking, a category into which the F-22 Raptor based at Joint Base Pearl Harbor- Hickam also falls. Such aircraft are expected to lead the air campaign in any fighting against a Pacific adversary such as China.

Two Australian F-35As, also known as the Lightning II, arrived at Hickam on Feb. 23 before flying to the 2017 Australian International Airshow in Victoria, Australia. The Air Force said it was the first appearance of the costly and highly capable Joint Strike Fighter in Hawaii.

Lockheed Martin is producing three variants of the F-35: the “A” model for the Air Force, the “B” with short takeoff and vertical landing for the Marines and the “C” for Navy aircraft carrier landings.

Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska is expected to get 54 of the F-35As beginning in 2020. Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 — the Corps’ first operational F-35B squadron — sent 10 of the stealth jets to Iwakuni, Japan, in January, with six more scheduled to arrive later this year. The Navy expects to deploy the F-35C on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in 2021.

Japan is slated to receive 42 of the Joint Strike Fighters, South Korea is to get 40 and Australia will get 72 of the aircraft.

“The F-35 will be the fighter of the future — not just for the Air Force, but also for our sister services and eight partner nations,” Lt. Gen. Jerry Harris Jr., Air Force deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and requirements, told the House Armed Services Committee in February.

China’s J-20 stealth fighter, seen as a less capable competitor of the U.S. F-22, was recently moved into operational service. The South China Morning Post reported last week it was told the People’s Liberation Army thinks “it’s urgent for China to show off its achievements as soon as possible” in light of the U.S. F-35 deployment to Japan.

The Air Force’s F-35 deployed to Nevada in January and February for Red Flag, the service’s premier air combat exercise, and its performance was “outstanding,” Harris said.

President Donald Trump complained about the cost of the planes, which now run between $95 million and $123 million, depending on variant, and prompting a comparison with the less costly F/A-18 Super Hornet. But Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson said he needs both — stealthy F-35s and nonstealthy advanced Super Hornets.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said in Washington, D.C., last month that it’s less important to compare individual U.S. and Chinese fighters and more important to compare system networks including space, cyber and even submarine information fed into the cockpit that will continue to give the United States an advantage.

“What really counts is the fact that we’re going to bring a network of family of systems to bear on the enemy,” he said. “And that’s going to be an F-35, that’s there with an F-22, that’s there with an F-18.”