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The fifth-generation jet flew over Canberra at midday on Sunday as part of the Anzac Day National Service.
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The fifth-generation aircraft flew over Parliament House and along Anzac Parade towards the Australian War Memorial.
Tickets were capped at 4,200 for the Dawn Service, which ran from 5:30am, and 3,000 for the National Ceremony from 10:30am, due to COVID restrictions. The traditional march itself was also scaled back to include just 200 veterans.
“This time last year, like so many other times in our history, we faced a defining moment as a nation, a moment of uncertainty and danger, when the future seems so uncertain, masked by fog,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
He paid tribute to the stay-at-home services last year, saying they helped Australians rediscover a “deep truth about who we are” and were a reminder of “the sacrifices, the courage, the selflessness which help make our country what it is today”.
Air Force chief Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld paid tribute to squadron leader Peter Jensen, who died in April just days before his 100th birthday.
“I don’t tell his story because he is extraordinary — I tell his story because he felt himself to be ordinary,” he said.
“Peter was just one of the many who gave their country and their community a lifetime of service. For me this is the spirit of Anzac.
“As each year passes us by, we weather the loss of those ordinary people who did extraordinary things in defence of our home and of our values.”
Chief of the Defence Force, General Angus Campbell, said ADF personnel have much to be proud of.
“Every day I see our people humbly carry out their duty with excellence and initiative, and display great mateship. This is the essence of the Anzac Spirit,” GEN Campbell said.
“We remember and honour those who went before us from the Gallipoli landing in 1915 through to the campaigns and operations of today.
“We also remember and thank the families and communities who love, trust and enable our people to remain resolute in service — this too is part of the Anzac Spirit.”
“Lest we forget.”
Elsewhere around the country, Sydney held its dawn service at the Cenotaph in Martin Place, and Brisbane and Melbourne’s were held at their respective Shrine of Remembrance.
Perth’s three-day lockdown saw all services cancelled.
[Related: Reflections — Anzac Day 2021]
