F-35s complete training ‘deployment’ for first time

[Hindustani78]

Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jet will drop weapons and take part in a major U.S. military exercise this week for the first time, another milestone for the Pentagon's most expensive weapons program, Air Force officials said Monday.

The exercise, called "Green Flag West," tests the U.S. military's ability to engage in air-to-surface conflicts and helps get ground troops who pinpoint potential air strikes ready for combat.

The three F-35 Lightning II variant aircrafts (F-35 A, B, and C) are designed and manufactured in Lockheed Martin's massive Fort Worth, Texas plant. Several F-35 A-model jets, along with a host of other warplanes and other weapons, will participate in the exercises.

General Herbert Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command, told Reuters that exercises were an important way to expose weapons and pilots to more real-world battle scenarios.

"It's incredibly important that you've got to get past just the theoretical ... to get it into the fog and friction of dynamic environment that is changing rapidly," Carlisle said after an event hosted by the Air Force Association.

The Air Force has used aircraft equipped with F-35 sensors in past exercises, but this will be the first time that more "operationally representative" aircraft take part, he said.


Carlisle said the Air Force was still working through some problems with how data from various radars and other sensors are fused and displayed to the pilot, but he expected the aircraft to perform well in the exercise.

"The airplane's pretty impressive," Carlisle said. He said the jet's radar-evading capabilities and large number of sensors would help improve the performance of all other U.S. aircraft in a fight, much like the F-22 does now.

The Marine Corps is expected to declare an initial squadron of 10 F-35B jets ready for initial combat use in July, with the Air Force to follow suit in August 2016.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon has proposed a plan to US lawmakers to approve a purchase of 57 F-35s for a cool $11 billion within the next fiscal year, Military.com reports.

The $400 billion and counting F-35 program has so far delivered 140 of the anticipated 2,443 jets to the US Department of Defense and five aircraft to foreign military buyers.

 

[gambit]

That smiley face is just cute.

 

[Hindustani78]

Pilots in Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, use Full Mission Simulators as part of their training with F-35s. The F-35 simulators can also be found at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, where Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121 trains. The F-35 Full Mission Simulator accurately replicates all sensors and weapons to provide a realistic mission rehearsal and training environment. Marine Corps courtesy photo

 

[Hindustani78]

Air Force to rely on Reserve to help stand up F-35
2:19 p.m. EDT July 7, 2015

The Air Force plans to turn to the Air Force Reserve for manpower to bring the F-35 online after Congress blocked the service's attempt to free up maintainers through retirement of the A-10, the head of Air Force Reserve Command said Tuesday.

"The active duty has a pretty significant shortage in maintainers, and keeping the A-10 means that those maintainers will have to stay with those [units] and not be able to retrain," Lt. Gen. James Jackson said at an Air Force Association speech in Arlington, Virginia.

The proposal is included in the Air Force's fiscal 2017 program objective memorandum, which outlines how the service plans to spend its resources over the next five years, Jackson said.

Reservists will be turning the wrenches on the new stealth fighter at the first operational F-35 unit at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, at training units at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, and at test units at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

The main Reserve F-36 unit at Hill, the 419th Fighter Wing, will help stand up the F-35 "with a larger portion of maintenance than we've had in the past," Jackson said.

The numbers will first come from the fiscal 2016 plan, in which the Air Force approved 2,100 more reserve positions. Many of those spots are going to F-35 personnel, along with more positions in cyber and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

The service has said it needs 1,100 trained maintainers to have the F-35 meet its initial operating capability deadline in summer 2016. As of June 10, the F-35 maintainer schoolhouse at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, had trained 691 maintenance personnel. The service has also been able to move 18 A-10s to backup status, freeing up another 150 personnel. The remainder will have to come from other areas, such as the Air Force Reserve.

Jackson said the initial cadre of maintainers will likely be more experienced, 5- to 7-level airmen, mostly trained on other fighter aircraft. The largest demand is in the avionics career field, and training time is shorter for avionics airmen coming from aircraft such as the A-10 and F-16 than from mobility aircraft like a C-130 or C-17.

The reserve has been recruiting airmen from the active duty, with 58 percent of airmen in its ranks coming from active-duty service, Jackson said.

The number of reserve maintainers heading to the F-35 have not been released, because the fiscal 2017 POM has not been released. However, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh have said the service has gotten too small, and they would like to see increases in the number of airmen on active duty and in the reserve.

 

[Hindustani78]

Marines drop first bombs from F-35B in test runs

By James K. Sanborn, Staff writer 10:36 a.m. EDT July 11, 2015

An F-35B with Operational and Test Evaluation Squadron 22 touches down at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Oct. 9. Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, conducted the aircraft's first operational bomb sorties in the same area during late June.(Photo: Cpl. Owen Kimbrel/Marine Corps)

Marine pilots recently dropped dozens of live bombs from the F-35B joint strike fighter for the first time, bringing the aircraft a step closer to its long-anticipated rollout.

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 dropped 30 bombs over five days without a hitch in late June near Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona. It was a first for the squadron testing the aircraft's capabilities, and Marines said they can hit targets in little- to no-visibility.

That showed that the F-35B is ready and able to conduct direct strikes in a battlefield environment, , said Maj. Christopher Trent, VMFA-121's pilot training officer and one of 14 pilots who flew several of the test sorties..

"It was a confidence builder for the entire team that they can load bombs, wire and put them on the jet right, and the jet can put them where they are intended to go with the pilot's targeting," he said.

The aircraft dropped two legacy munitions currently used by F/A-18 Hornet and AV-8B Harrier pilots: the laser-guided 500-pound Guided Bomb Unit 12 and the GPS-guided 1,000-pound GBU-32. But the new fighter jet far outperformed older aircraft in its ability to deliver GBU-32 munitions in obscured conditions.

"In extreme weather conditions or dirty battlefield conditions, the F-35 still has the ability to target munitions for the guy on the ground with the same warheads legacy aircraft carry today," Trent said.

The key to that new capability is the F-35's synthetic aperture radar, which allows it to paint a three-dimensional map of the ground. That offers pilots enough detail to deliver bombs even in little or no visibility.

In the case of GBU-12 bombs, however, pilots still need clear weather because the system is dependent on a laser's ability to paint a target.

GBU-12 and GBU-32 will be the only two munitions the F-35 initially carries. The decision was made to prioritize certification of those two given operational needs, time and financial constraints.

"I served as an air officer in Afghanistan and these were by far the most common two piece of ordnance employed," Trent said, adding that it made sense to focus on GBU-12 and 32 first.

With its now proven ability to put two common bombs on target, the aircraft is on track to reach a declared "initial operations capability" by Marine leaders. That's expected to happen sometime this month.

As it stands, Trent said he would confidently take the aircraft into battle today. The exercise proved to all Marines involved in running sorties that the new aircraft can carry out a combat mission.

The aircraft will eventually get an expanded and upgraded suite of weapons, but that will come with the next block of upgrades in 2017. For now, once it reaches initial operations capability, Trent said the squadron will shift its focus toward training more pilots and making bomb runs a routine task.

"We will transition to normal operational training priorities for a normal gun squadron, training all the remaining pilots up and getting them ready for combat should the squadron be called to go," he said.

 

[Hindustani78]

Marine F-35B simulators get true-to-life upgrades
10:36 a.m. EDT July 25, 2015
Marine F-35B joint strike fighter pilots can now fly realistic training missions without ever leaving the ground thanks to a recent upgrade to their simulators.

Pilots with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, which is expected to become the first operational F-35B squadron in late July, got Block 2B software upgrades giving their four simulators at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, the exact same capabilities as their real fighters.

“The software in the simulator now matches what is on the flightline, which is really what you desire," said Maj. Christopher Trent, VMFA-121's pilot training officer. "You don’t wasn’t a software variant older than what is on the flightline,”

Pilots had been using simulators with outdated software since the real aircraft are typically updated before training devices, Trent said. Now the software allows them to train as they fly, with expanded data sets and simulated weapons drops, according to Lockheed Martin.

“They give you the ability to replicate whatever threat — aircraft, ground defenses,” Trent said, including surface-to-air missile batteries, anti-aircraft artillery, tanks and personnel carriers, and enemy fighters with rocket-propelled grenades.

But above all, they allow pilots to fly over simulations of real-world cities.

“Some threats don’t exist on a training range and you can’t replicate country X very accurately," he said. "Some of the best training you can get in a simulator is when it comes to replicating what aircraft will actually fight against in some areas of the world we might go to.”

That means if F-35B pilots are called on to fly over a real city in Syria, for example, they already have a feel for buildings, streets and potential targets based on simulated training they completed.

Those upgrades are imperative since it the simulations are considered the next-best-thing to real-world training missions. While nothing can replace taking to skies for learning the feel of an aircraft, training missions can be limited by space constraints, budgets and logistics. Simulators, on the other hand, allow for more complex and realistic scenarios.

The new F-35 simulators are far more accurate and detailed compared to past versions, Trent said. Graphics and targets are so detailed, they pop as if they are in 3-D.

“Legacy platforms are like Nintendo systems of the day and this upgrade is like the latest and greatest XBox with Halo,” he said.

They can also be linked together, allowing four pilots with VMFA-121 to fly together as they would in combat. Or pilots can go up against each other, allowing them to train for possible dog fights, Trent said.

 

[Aepsilons]

Naval aviators with Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 fly above Eastern North Carolina inside of F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters during training with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252 on April 14. Cpl. Unique B. Roberts/Marine Corps

LEMOORE, California (April 14, 2015) Two F-35C Lightning II aircraft fly in formation over Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore with to two F/A-18E/F Super Hornets from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 122, the "Flying Eagles" . The flight is part of a six-day visit by Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101, the "Grim Reapers," based at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, to NAS Lemoore, the future basing site for the F-35C. The F-35C will complement the capabilities of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, which currently serves as the Navy's premier strike fighter. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Cmdr. Darin Russell/Released)

LEMOORE, Calif. (April 14, 2015) Two F-35C Lightning II aircraft fly in formation over the Sierra Nevada mountain range with to two F/A-18E/F Super Hornets from Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore. The flight is part of a six-day visit by the Grim Reapers of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101 to NAS Lemoore, the future basing site for the F-35C. The F-35C will complement the capabilities of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, which currently serves as the Navy's premier strike fighter. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Cmdr. Darin Russell/Released)

LEMOORE, Calif. (April 14, 2015) Two F-35C Lightning II aircraft before a break maneuver with an F/A-18E Super Hornet from Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore. The flight is part of a six-day visit by the Grim Reapers of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101 to NAS Lemoore, the future basing site for the F-35C. The F-35C will complement the capabilities of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, which currently serves as the Navy's premier strike fighter. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Cmdr. Darin Russell/Released)

Beautiful.....Beautiful...!!!!!

 

[Hindustani78]

Marine F-35B joint strike fighters nearly ready for action

6:21 p.m. EDT July 27, 2015

The Marine Corps' joint strike fighter could be considered wartime-ready in just days, pending the commandant's final review and approval.

The top Marine aviator at the Pentagon, Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, said Monday that the F-35B Lightning II aircraft has now cleared a lengthy review process, allowing it to reach initial operational capability.

"We've done everything we needed to do to make the decision," Davis said, adding that shipboard testing and live-bomb sorties this summer went off without a hitch.

Commandant Gen. Joseph Dunford was presented with all the necessary paperwork and will determine whether the aircraft is mission-capable, Davis added. That means it will be ready for real-world missions, but won't have all the weapons and software Marine officials hope to add in the next couple of years.

Senior Marine officials said repeatedly throughout the testing that the aircraft was on track to reach that phase by the end of July. If that happens, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 out of Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, will become the first fully operational F-35B squadron ready for war.

At that point, Davis said the Marine Corps will begin training more pilots for VMFA-121 and future F-35B squadrons. Those include Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211, an AV-8B Harrier unit out of Arizona, and VMFA-122, an F/A-18 Super Hornet unit out of South Carolina.

"I think our biggest task is to maintain the very high quality we saw with VMFA-121," he said.

Also vital, Davis said, is the need to expand the number of enlisted Marine maintainers who can care for the fifth generation stealth fighter, which possesses some of the world's most advanced sensors and communications systems

"To me, I focus very much on the enlisted maintainers," Davis said.

He said he wants to train and equip them with better tools than they have today while also providing good career opportunities.

The F-35B is a growth field, where maintainers can expect healthy promotion and retention opportunities as well as re-enlistment bonuses in some military occupational specialties, even as re-up money evaporates in many fields.

Sea trials and bomb drops

In order to hit IOC, the F-35B completed shipboard certifications in late May followed by its first operational test bomb runs in late June.

The operational testing differed from earlier testing in that it was conducted by Marine personnel rather, than defense industry contractors, in an environment similar to conditions Marines pilots, maintainers and logisticians would encounter when deployed.

That ensured Marines were not only able to land and take off from amphibious assault ships, but conduct necessary shipboard maintenance, hit targets with the aircraft's initial suite of weapons and sensors, and use new maintenance software.

VMFA-121's F-35B simulators also recently got a software upgrades that allows up to four pilots to fly in a virtual environment, executing joint missions and operating much as they would in actual combat.

Once VMFA-121 reaches initial operational capability, Marines with that squadron will be able to deploy with the F-35B.

"We will transition to normal operational training priorities for a normal gun squadron, training all the remaining pilots up and getting them ready for combat should the squadron be called to go," said Maj. Christopher Trent, the squadron's pilot training officer.

The squadron will make a permanent change of station move to Iwakuni, Japan, in 2017.

 

[Hindustani78]

Marines Declare F-35B Operational
An F-35B from Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 (VMFAT-501), flies near its base a MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina.(Photo: Lockheed Martin)

WASHINGTON — In a milestone for the F-35 joint strike fighter, the US Marine Corps today declared the F-35B jump-jet model to have achieved initial operational capability (IOC).

The news means that the Marines consider the F-35B model – one of three designs of the multi-role fighter — to be an active plane that can perform in operations the same way any other active aircraft in its arsenal can.

The plane was declared operational by Gen. Joe Dunford, the outgoing Marine Corps commandant — and incoming Chairman of the Joint Chiefs — in a July 31 announcement.

"I am pleased to announce that VMFA-121 has achieved initial operational capability in the F-35B, as defined by requirements outlined in the June 2014 Joint Report to Congressional Defense Committees," Dunford said in a statement. "VMFA-121 has ten aircraft in the Block 2B configuration with the requisite performance envelope and weapons clearances, to include the training, sustainment capabilities, and infrastructure to deploy to an austere site or a ship. It is capable of conducting close air support, offensive and defensive counter air, air interdiction, assault support escort and armed reconnaissance as part of a Marine Air Ground Task Force, or in support of the Joint Force."

The Marines plan on buying 420 total jets, a mix of 340 B and 80 C models. The first F-35B deployment is scheduled to take place in 2017, with the unit known as VMFA-121 moving to Iwakuni, Japan.

Although the jets will be operational, they are not in their final form. More capability, including the use of the plane's gun, will come down the line with software update 3F, which will drop in 2017.

While this is one IOC target down, two more remain. The F-35A conventional take-off and landing model will go operational for the Air Force in the fall of 2016. The carrier variant F-35C, which will be used both by the Navy and Marines, is scheduled to go operational in 2018, with a more up-to-date software package.

But make no mistake — this is a major moment for the program, which is planned to provide the backbone of American air power for decades to come. Especially because for years it felt like IOC may never come for the jet.

When the contract for the F-35 was awarded to Lockheed Martin in October 2001, US undersectrary for Acquisitions, Technology and Logistics Pete Aldridge pledged it would be "the world's premier strike platform beginning in 2008."

But the F-35 program was plagued by cost overruns, technical failures and major delays. It spent most of the 2000s as a favorite target for critics of Pentagon procurement, the post child for program growth run amuck.

In 2010, the Pentagon and Congress worked together to re-baseline the program and set new targets. While there have been some controversies, including an engine failure last June that destroyed an F-35A model in Florida, the program has largely stayed on track since that re-baseline occurred. It has also had great success in competitions overseas, having swept every international fighter competition it has entered.

With the F-35 hitting this milestone, it is interesting to note Pentagon officials have begun openly talking about reviewing the planned purchase of 2,443 jets across the three services.

When the F-35 was at its lowest point, there were fears that cutting the projected buy could send the program into a "death spiral" that would see international partners abandoning the jet, hence driving costs up which in turn would lead to more partners abandoning the program.

Now, with procurement looking steady for the next several years, DoD officials seem willing to discuss whether the long-standing 2,443 figure is still the best way forward.

In written testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Dunford said the Pentagon was reviewing that total. And on Thursday, the Obama administration's choice to be the next Chief of Naval Operations indicated he was open to looking at the Navy's planned buy of 340 C models.

If confirmed, Admr. John Richardson wrote, he "will work with the Chairman and other service chiefs to revalidate the appropriate number of aircraft the Navy requires to meet the mission."

Reactions to News

Unsurprisingly, reaction from Pentagon and industry leadership was swift and glowing to the news.

Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, the F-35 program head, called the decision a "significant event" for the program and applauded the Marines for achieving IOC at the start of their six-month window. Frank Kendall, the Pentagon's top weapons buyer, also applauded the decision, while acknowledging that work remains to complete future software updates.

"This accomplishment is an affirmation that the F-35 program is on track to deliver essential 5th generation warfighting capabilities to our US services and international partners," Kendall wrote in a statement."It is also a reminder that we still have work ahead to deliver the full warfighting capability required by all three services and our partners while we continue our successful efforts to drive cost out of the program."

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, whose service is scheduled to be the next to go operational, tweeted out her congratulations.

Prime contractor Lockheed Martin, meanwhile, was less restrained.

"Fifty years from now, historians will look back on the success of the F-35 Program and point to Marine Corps IOC as the milestone that ushered in a new era in military aviation," the company said in a statement. "To every Marine in the Corps, congratulations on this significant achievement and we look forward to supporting the Marine Air Ground Task Force as you execute your vital mission!"

A joint statement from Pratt & Whitney and Rolls Royce, the two companies that develop the vertical liftoff engine used in the F-35B model, also congratulated the Marines.

 

[Hindustani78]

Lt. Col. Eric Smith, from the 58th Fighter Squadron, straps on his F-35 helmet in this 2012 photo. Smith was the first Air Force pilot qualified to fly the F-35. Officials believe the advanced helmets will provide pilots with faster access to tactical information and a better visual of what's on the ground.(Photo: Samuel King/Air Force)

F-35 helmet will give pilot tactical information faster



The F-35 Lightning II is one of the most advanced aircraft ever built. But the technological innovation isn’t just in the plane itself; it’s inside the cockpit, too.

The helmets pilots wear include an advanced heads-up-display and the ability to see “through” the floor of the fighter. The helmet, built by Rockwell Collins, costs about $400,000, and every F-35 pilot gets his own personalized model.

“Kind of like with the airplane, the helmet is a pretty big leap in technology,” said Lt. Col. Michael Gette, commander of the 61st Fighter Squadron, which is training operational pilots for the F-35.

“We’re trying to do things with the helmet that’s never been done before,” he told Air Force Times.

That includes putting the fighter’s heads-up-display on the helmet itself, projected onto the visor in front of the pilot’s eyes.

Lockheed Martin, prime contractor for the F-35, claims having the HUD on the visor allows the pilot to immediately see information like speed, altitude, distance to target, and a host of other factors.

“It allows him to see everything that’s of concern to him — his allies and his threats — above the horizon in the air-to-air arena,” said Billie Flynn, a Lockheed Martin test pilot, in a video posted to the defense contractor’s website.

“What it brings to the pilot is all the information that used to be on various screens in the cockpit, and it presents it to him on a display that gives him immediate situational awareness,” Flynn said.

But in order to have the visual clarity so each pilot can read the information, the cameras in the helmet that project the display have to be fine-tuned specifically for each pilot.

Gette said the Air Force is getting the last few minor problems worked out.

“There have been issues,” he said. “Trying to replace a fixed HUD on the glare shield with one that displays on your helmet presents new challenges.”

In addition to the display, the helmet can see “through” the floor of the plane. Six sensors embedded in the skin project onto the helmet what the ground looks like below.

“It basically takes all these cameras ... and it stitches them together into one 360-degree picture,” Maj. John Wilson, a pilot with the 61st, told Dutch publication Krigeren.

“I can basically look through my feet and see the ground,” he said.

Gette noted the technology has been most effective when paired with night-vision capabilities.

“We have been using it on our night sorties here and it’s been effective,” he said. “You can maintain awareness of ground features, what the weather is on the ground.”

There’s an added bonus for the helmet, too, Gette said.

“It’s the most comfortable helmet I’ve ever worn,” he said. “You wear it the whole sortie long; you don’t even know you have it on.”

 

[Hindustani78]

F-35s to replace Marine Harriers destroyed in Bastion attack
By Hope Hodge Seck, Staff writer 6:09 p.m. EDT August 12, 2015

The Marines are set to get a half-dozen new F-35B joint strike fighters to replace aircraft lost during an airfield attack in Afghanistan in 2012.

Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, deputy commandant for Marine Aviation, said Congress recently approved the purchase of the aircraft, which will allow the Corps to jump ahead in its plans to replace legacy aircraft systems with the 5th generation fighter jet.

Six Marine AV-8B Harriers were destroyed in a single night at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan when disguised Taliban fighters rushed the airfield. The attack, which also resulted in the deaths of Marine Lt. Col. Christopher Raible and Sgt. Bradley Atwell, was called the worst loss of U.S. aircraft in a single incident since the Vietnam era.

The Marine Corps requested $1.01 billion to purchase the F-35s in early 2014 as part of a $2.5 billion unfunded priorities wish list submitted to Congress. Davis said the buy was approved this year and the aircraft would likely come online in 2018.

"It's great; it allows us to stand up a squadron a little bit early. So we really appreciate that," he said.

A spokesman for Marine Corps Aviation, Maj. Paul Greenberg, said the provision for the six additional F-35s was in both the House and Senate versions of the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act as the bill enters conference deliberations. The measure awaits final approval, he said.

Davis, who spoke Wednesday about the future of Marine Corps aviation at a think tank event in Washington, D.C., said the new F-35s would allow the service to deactivate a squadron of F/A-18 Hornets, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122 out of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, about a year earlier than was planned. It will also accelerate the activation of another F-35 squadron, he said.

The Marine Corps expects to replace all of its Hornet squadrons with F-35s by 2030, though the plan hinges on a review, assessment and final decision in 2019. Joint strike fighters will also replace the Marines' Harriers by 2026, according to the Marine Corps' 10-year aviation plan.

"We'll be able to move out of classics a little bit early," Davis said.

Davis was bullish on the future of the joint strike fighter following the Marines' declaration of initial operational capability for the aircraft July 31. He saidthe first operational F-35B squadron, VMFA-121, excelled during an intensive readiness inspection and scenarios involving discovery of obscure targets in a high-threat environment during testing.

"The performance of VMFA-122, and the entire Marine Corps F-35B team over the past several years, has reinforced my feeling that we not only have great Marines in this program, but that we are giving them the right aircraft," he said.

 

[James David]

Damn!!!! and i thought those F-35 bashers said the Jet is not good!!! Oh well... Envious is a killer!!!

 

[Hindustani78]

Lt. Col. Yosef Morris, 34th Fighter squadron director of operations, banks hard left in his F-35A Lightning II as he prepares to land at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Sept. 2, 2015. This aircraft and another became the first two operational F-35s to arrive at the base. The rest of the fleet of up to 72 F-35As will be coming in on a staggered basis, spread through 2019. Alex Lloyd/Air Force

 

[Hindustani78]

Col. David Lyons, 388th Fighter Wing Commander, and Lt. Col. Yosef Morris, 34th Fighter Squadron Director of Operations, delivered the first two F-35As to Hill AFB Sept. 2. The planes are the first of 72 that are planned to be at Hill by 2019.(Photo: (U.S. Air Force/Alex R. Lloyd))

First two F-35s delivered to Hill AFB

Two F-35s arrived Tuesday at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, the first of a planned 72 that will be stationed at the base by 2019.

Defense contractor Lockheed-Martin announced that the two F-35A conventional takeoff and landing planes – the AF-77 and AF-78 versions – were delivered to Hill for the 388th Fighter Wing.

“The F-35A Lightning II represents the future of tactical aviation for the United States and our allies,” said Col. David Lyons, commander of the 388th. “Alongside our 419th Fighter Wing counterparts, we’re excited to usher in a new era of combat capability for the Air Force.”

Hill is the fifth Air Force base to get the fifth-generation craft, officials said, and the 10th military base. The Marine Corps recently declared their versions of the fighter, the F-35B, as reaching initial operating capability. The Air Force is aiming for IOC at the end of next year.

Designed as a multirole support aircraft, the F-35 is designed to replace variants of the A-10 and F-16, as well as the F-18 for the Navy and Marine Corps. The plane has been continuously criticized by members of Congress and watchdogs for being an estimated $160 billion over budget and years behind schedule.

 

[Hindustani78]

The first two operational F-35A Lightning II aircraft arrive at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, on Wednesday. The jets were piloted by Col. David Lyons, 388th Fighter Wing commander, and Lt. Col. Yosef Morris, 34th Fighter Squadron director of operations. Hill will receive up to 70 additional combat-coded F-35s on a staggered basis through 2019. Alex R. Lloyd/Air Force