Page 8 - Combat Aircraft (January 2020)

[NEWS]

Task Force — Operation ‘Inherent
Resolve’ on April 30. This strike marked
the F-35A’s rst combat employment.’
The two F-35s on the ATO used
LIGHTNING COMBAT GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munitions
DEBUT COMPLETE used by so-called Islamic State (IS)
(JDAMs) to hit a tunnel network
and a weapons cache in the Hamrin
Mountains near Baiji in Iraq.
Few further o cial details of the
deployment have emerged, although,
over the past year or so, Operation
HILL F-35AS ROTATE BACK TO MAINTAIN PRESENCE IN THE GULF ‘Inherent Resolve’ has evolved from
being a campaign to roll back territory
held by IS in Iraq and Syria to what is
S AIR FORCE F-35As join the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Order (ATO) and were assigned to a now an intelligence-driven targeting
of the active-duty 4th (AEW) at Al Dhafra Air Base in the dedicated VUL (Vulnerability Period) in mission, with ghters providing top
Fighter Squadron (FS) United Arab Emirates. Operation ‘Inherent Resolve’ (OIR). cover for coalition troops. As a result,
‘Fighting Fuujins’ and The F-35s launched initial local According to a CENTCOM news kinetic strikes have dramatically
the Reserve Command’s shakedown missions on April 24 release, the F-35’s rst kinetic action reduced. As well as delivering
U 466th FS ‘Diamondbacks’, having been tted with external came on April 30 during what it weapons, the USAF has been keen to
returned home to Hill AFB, Utah, in missile rails but with no weapons called an ‘air interdiction during its stress the bene ts the F-35A brings
late October at the conclusion of attached. Images released by inaugural deployment to the US Air to bear in the on-going campaign in
a six-month tour to the US Central CENTCOM subsequently con rmed Force’s Central Command’s area of the Middle East. In a press release it
Command (CENTCOM) region. This the rst combat missions on April responsibility’. A further release added: described how the jet’s ‘powerful and
was the rst combat deployment of 26 — complete with live external ‘Two USAF F-35A Lightning II aircraft comprehensive integrated sensor
USAF F-35As, having departed Hill on AIM-9X Sidewinders — as the USAF conducted an air strike at Wadi Ashai, package’ would be able to ‘fuse,
the night of April 11, eastbound to F-35As joined the daily Air Tasking Iraq, in support of Combined Joint integrate and share data with other

Above left to right: Having arrived at Al Dhafra
on November 16, the new F-35A deployment
appears to be operating from a new location
rather than the sun shelters used on the debut
deployment. USAF/TSgt Joshua Williams This image: The 34th Fighter
Squadron ‘Rude Rams’ fl agship
The 494th Fighter Squadron arrived at Al F-35A arrives at Morón Air Base,
Dhafra on October 18 to join operations in the Spain, on November 12, en route to
region. USAF/TSgt Kat Justen Al Dhafra. Antonio Muñiz Zaragüeta

08 January 2020 // www.Key.Aero

22/11/2019 13:16
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