F-35 developer Lockheed Martin is part of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) trade group. Photo: Air Force
By Dan Parsons |
@sharkparsons
8 years ago |
09/04/2015
F-35

The first two F-35A Joint Strike Fighters arrived at Hill AFB, Utah, on Sept. 2, making it the 10th installation to formally host the jet.

The two conventional takeoff and landing versions of the F-35 landed around 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday after a two-hour flight from the Lockheed Martin [LMT] production facility in Fort Worth, Texas.

The first two operational F-35A Lightning II aircraft arrive at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Sept. 2, 2015. 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. The jets will be flown and maintained by Hill Airmen assigned to the active-duty 388th Fighter Wing and its Reserve component 419th Fighter Wing. (U.S. Air Force photo/Alex R. Lloyd)
The first two operational F-35A Lightning II aircraft arrive at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Sept. 2, 2015. 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. The jets will be flown and maintained by Hill Airmen assigned to the active-duty 388th Fighter Wing and its Reserve component 419th Fighter Wing. (U.S. Air Force photo/Alex R. Lloyd)

Hill was selected in 2013 to host the service’s first combat F-35 squadron and has since spent $120 million in preparation for the aircraft’s arrival. It joins Edwards AFB in California, Eglin AFB in Florida, Luke AFB in Arizona and Nellis AFB in Nevada.

Designated AF-77 and AF-78, the two jets are the first of 72 that eventually will be stationed at Hill. The base will receive one to two F-35s per month until it reaches the 72 needed to establish two full air wings. The jets are considered “combat-coded” because they are representative of the configuration that the Air Force will use to declare initial operational capability (IOC). 

The wing that will declare combat readiness first in 2016 is the 388th Fighter Wing, which it intends to do with 15 jets sometime in 2016. It will be followed by the 419th Fighter Wing.  Neither unit is unfamiliar with breaking in revolutionary aircraft. They were the first to fly combat-ready F-16s when that jet entered the Air Force fleet.

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

The first two combat-coded F-35A Lightning II aircraft arrive at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Sept. 2. Hill was selected as the location for the first operational F-35 fleet and will receive up to 70 additional jets on a staggered basis through 2019. Hill Airmen from the active-duty 388th and Reserve 419th Fighter Wings will fly and maintain the fleet. Standing up the first operational F-35 unit at Hill allows for synergy with the co-located F-35 depot maintenance team, and access to the nearby Utah Test and Training Range. (U.S. Air Force photo by Alex R. Lloyd/Released)
The first two combat-coded F-35A Lightning II aircraft arrive at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Sept. 2. Hill was selected as the location for the first operational F-35 fleet and will receive up to 70 additional jets on a staggered basis through 2019. Hill Airmen from the active-duty 388th and Reserve 419th Fighter Wings will fly and maintain the fleet. Standing up the first operational F-35 unit at Hill allows for synergy with the co-located F-35 depot maintenance team, and access to the nearby Utah Test and Training Range. (U.S. Air Force photo by Alex R. Lloyd/Released)

Pilots and maintainers plan to take at least a week to familiarize themselves with the aircraft, receive necessary spare parts and create a maintenance database before beginning flights. Twice-weekly flights are scheduled to begin on Sept. 7, according to Lt. Col. Darrin Dronoff, chief of the F-35 program integration office for the 388th FW.

“The plan is to start flying after Labor Day. We’ll start by flying twice a week, but that will slowly progress as we receive more aircraft and training progresses,” said Dronoff.

Hill has been called the “ideal home” for the F-35 because of its proximity to the Utah Test and Training Range and Hill’s Ogden Air Logistics Complex, which performs F-35 depot maintenance and modifications. The integration of the active duty and reserve fighter wings provides increased flexibility and combat surge capability.

Since the basing announcement in 2013, Hill has spent more than $120 million and completed numerous renovation and construction projects to prepare for F-35 operations.

The Air Force received the first two of the jets that will be used to declare initial operational capability (IOC) about a month after the Marine Corps declared its first squadron of F-35B short-takeoff and vertical landing variant battle ready at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz.