Story highlights Lt. Col. Christine Mau becomes the first woman to fly the F-35A Lightning II jet

Mau is a veteran F-15 Eagle pilot

She flew combat missions in Afghanistan, including the first in which all roles were filled by women

(CNN) The F-35 is the Air Force's newest fighter plane, and the service says it needs some of its most experienced aviators in the cockpit of the jet.

One of them is Lt. Col. Christine Mau, who flew combat missions in the F-15 Strike Eagle in Afghanistan. In May, she became the first woman to fly the Lightning II jet.

Despite her experience in Afghanistan, Mau, the deputy commander of the 33rd Fighter Wing Operations Group at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, said completing her first flight in the F-35 was a special moment.

"It wasn't until I was taxiing to the runway that it really struck me that I was on my own in the jet," Mau said in an Air Force press release.

"It felt great to get airborne. The jet flies like a dream," she added.

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