U.S Air Force ushered in a new era of combat air power on Wednesday, as Hill Air Force Base received the service's first two operati...
U.S Air Force ushered in a new era of combat air power on Wednesday, as Hill Air Force Base received the service's first two operational combat capabale Lockheed Martin F-35A stealth fighters.
The two F-35A Conventional Takeoff and Landing variants, known as AF-77 and AF-78, are the first of 72 F-35As scheduled for delivery to the base.
Hill's active duty 388th Fighter Wing and Reserve 419th Fighter Wing will be the first combat-coded units to fly and maintain the Air Force's newest fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
The delivery marks the stand-up of the 10th F-35 base – with Hill the fifth U.S. Air Force base – to receive the F-35 Lightning II. During the next several months, Hill will receive additional F-35As, pilots and maintenance personnel in order to meet requirements to declare Initial Operational Capability in 2016.
The 388th and 419th Fighter wings were also the first units in the Air Force to fly combat-coded F-16s when they entered the fleet.
The base will hold a formal ceremony to commemorate the arrival of the F-35 in mid-October.
The F-35A Lightning II is a 5th generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment.
Three distinct variants of the F-35 will replace the A-10 and F-16 for the U.S. Air Force, the F/A-18 for the U.S. Navy, the F/A-18 and AV-8B Harrier for the U.S. Marine Corps, and a variety of fighters for at least nine other countries.
