NEWS
HILL F-35AS ROTATE BACK TO MAINTAIN PRESENCE IN THE GULF
US AIR FORCE F-35As of the active-duty 4th Fighter Squadron (FS) ‘Fighting Fuujins’ and the Reserve Command’s 466th FS ‘Diamondbacks’, returned home to Hill AFB, Utah, in late October at the conclusion of a six-month tour to the US Central Command (CENTCOM) region. This was the first combat deployment of USAF F-35As, having departed Hill on the night of April 11, eastbound to join the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW) at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates.
The F-35s launched initial local shakedown missions on April 24 having been fitted with external missile rails but with no weapons attached. Images released by CENTCOM subsequently confirmed the first combat missions on April 26 — complete with live external AIM-9X Sidewinders — as the USAF F-35As joined the daily Air Tasking Order (ATO) and were assigned to a dedicated VUL (Vulnerability Period) in Operation ‘Inherent Resolve’ (OIR).
According to a CENTCOM news release, the F-35’s first kinetic action came on April 30 during what it called an ‘air interdiction during its inaugural deployment to the US Air Force’s Central Command’s area of responsibility’. A further release ad…
