Posted on 08/02/2016 9:30:41 PM PDT by Enchante
AF declares the F-35A ‘combat ready’
By Air Combat Command Public Affairs, / Published August 02, 2016 JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. (AFNS) -- The F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation fighter aircraft was declared ‘combat ready’ by Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the commander of Air Combat Command, Aug 2.
Carlisle lauded the aircraft’s performance, noting that the aircraft had met all key criteria for reaching initial operational capability: Airmen trained, manned and equipped to conduct basic close air support, interdiction and limited suppression/destruction of enemy air defenses in a contested environment with an operational squadron of 12-24 aircraft; the ability to deploy and conduct operational missions using program of record weapons and missions systems; and having all necessary logistics and operational elements in place.
“I am proud to announce this powerful new weapons system has achieved initial combat capability,” Carlisle said. “The F-35A will be the most dominant aircraft in our inventory because it can go where our legacy aircraft cannot and provide the capabilities our commanders need on the modern battlefield.”
The F-35A is the latest addition to ACC’s fleet of deployable and fifth-generation aircraft. It provides air superiority, interdiction, suppression of enemy air defenses and close air support as well as great command and control functions through fused sensors, and it will provide pilots with unprecedented situational awareness of the battlespace that will be more extensive than any single-seat platform in existence.
“Bringing the F-35A to initial combat readiness is a testament to our phenomenal Airmen and the outstanding support of the Joint Program Office and our enterprise partners. This important milestone for our fighter force ensures the United States, along with our allies and international partners, remains prepared to deter, deny, and defeat the full spectrum of growing threats around the globe," added Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James.
Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David L. Goldfein, said that dynamic new capability will benefit the joint warfighter.
"The combat ready F-35A is the latest fifth-generation fighter aircraft in the Air Force's inventory and provides our nation air dominance in any environment. The F-35A brings an unprecedented combination of lethality, survivability, and adaptability to joint and combined operations, and is ready to deploy and strike well-defended targets anywhere on Earth," Goldfein said. "Today's declaration of IOC is an important milestone on the road to achieving full warfighting capability for the F-35A.”
The 34th Fighter Squadron of the 388th Fighter Wing, based at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the service’s first operational F-35A squadron, having met all the established criteria for initial operational capability including a successful June deployment to Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, and a series of eight-aircraft sorties held in mid-July. 34th FS Airmen will fly and maintain the F-35A alongside Air Force Reservists from Hill’s 419th Fighter Wing.
"Our Airmen have worked tirelessly to make sure our aircraft are combat ready: meeting challenges head-on and completing all the required milestones," said Col. David Lyons, the 388th Fighter Wing commander. "We're very proud that the Air Force has declared us combat ready and we're prepared to take this aircraft wherever it's needed in support of our national defense."
Those sentiments were echoed by Col. David Smith, the 419th FW commander. “It's an honor to fly and maintain the F-35 with our active-duty counterparts here at Hill,” Smith said. “Our units were the first to fly combat-ready F-16s nearly 40 years ago, and we're very proud to have made history once again in bringing the Air Force's newest fighter jet to IOC.”
For more information click this link: http://www.acc.af.mil/AirCombatCommandsF-35AProgram.aspx
For questions, contact Air Combat Command Public Affairs at (757) 764-5007 or via e-mail accpa.operations@us.af.mil
Finally. I can take it out of the garage for a spin.
Mine is supposed to be delivered next week!
They didn’t have the color scheme I wanted but otherwise I am very happy about my new ride....
That says nothing about the plane itself. What happened to the F-22? The fish stinks from the head, and we have a really fowl head now.. a putrid head with all his blind followers.
How much is each one?
color me...skeptical.
The joke of a gun goes operational in 2017!
180 rounds. 3 seconds of 25mm. And it cant be used yet.
lol!!
I’ll race ya when you get it!
LOL. No.
That is great news and just in time as China and Russia are having a giant live fire naval exercise in the Pacific right now and we need to monitor them.
Pretty much what I've come to expect.
What happened to the F-22? The fish stinks from the head, and we have a really foul head now.. a putrid head with all his blind followers.
The F-22 was killed off by John McCain and others who were all in for the F-35. I suspect the reason for dropping the F-22 is that it was too good at its job and would give America a good edge in Air-Superiority… the F-35, OTOH, seems to be partially planned-obsolesce and partially a form of corporate welfare. (All you need as proof that the Congress isn't loyal to Americans is the overwhelming passage of the Iran Deal
.)
‘AF’ as in globalist’s force for good or ‘USAF’ as it was proudly referred to in the old days before 0dungheap?
Why are they dumping fuel?
Not as fast as fighter jets, external weapons wipe its stealth out, problems with the o2 system, limited flight ceiling, no women pilots or they will break their necks ejecting, crappy rear visibility, less maneuverability, and carries a couple hundred rounds of ammo (4 short bursts) and that’s it, and not all the software for everything is installed yet,
but it’s combat ready.
Every one that is lost is 330 million bucks down the drain.
That pic is from flight testing, they don’t have those nose probes attached normally.
Didn’t think they are dumping, just humidity in the air making wing contrails...?
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