DefenceTalkSouth Korea has grounded its entire fleet of advanced F-35 fighter jets, officials said Wednesday, pending a probe into a dramatic emergency landing. After the landing gear on a South Korean F-35A stopped working during a major systems malfunction, the pilot chose not to eject and instead landed the jet on its belly — walking […]https://www.defencetalk.com/south-korea-grounds-f-35s-after-malfunction-forces-emergency-landing-77619/

HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah: A little more than four years after receiving their first combat-coded F-35A Lightning II aircraft, Hill Air Force Base’s fighter wings have achieved full warfighting capability. The term describes a set of focus areas within the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings: fully trained pilots and maintainers, a full complement of […]

HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah: The active duty 388th Fighter Wing and Reserve 419th FW conducted a combat power exercise here Jan. 6, launching 52 F-35A Lightning IIs in rapid succession. The fighter wings are home to 78 aircraft. As the Air Force’s only combat-capable F-35A units, the wings must be prepared to launch any […]

HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah: Fighter wings at Hill Air Force Base received their final F-35A Lightning II Dec. 17. The delivery brings the total number of aircraft at the installation to 78. “This is a great milestone,” said Col. Steven Behmer, 388th Fighter Wing commander. “It marks the end of the beginning for us. […]

NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE: It all begins on the walls of a stereotypical conference room cluttered with large drawn out diagrams, procedures and step-by-step directions of how Bolt Aircraft Maintenance Unit (AMU) gets their fleet of F-35A Lightning IIs mission-ready on a daily basis. Maintenance personnel and civilians are dispersed throughout the room brainstorming how […]

DefenceTalkSTUTTGART, Germany: Combat-ready F-35A Lightning II multi-role fighter aircraft arrived today at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, demonstrating U.S. commitment to NATO allies and European territorial integrity. “The forward presence of F-35s support my priority of having ready and postured forces here in Europe,” said Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti, the commander of U.S. European […]https://www.defencetalk.com/f-35a-lighting-ii-joint-strike-fighter-aircraft-arrive-in-europe-69746/

DefenceTalkU.S. Air Force Airmen will partner with the Royal Air Force and the French Air Force for a second trilateral exercise beginning April 12 through April 28, 2017, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis. Atlantic Trident 2017, hosted by the 1st Fighter Wing, focuses on operations in a highly contested operational environment through a variety of complex, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/f-35a-to-face-eurofighter-rafale-in-combat-exercise-for-first-time-69724/

DefenceTalkStealth isn’t new in the Air Force; but, stealth combined with the multirole capabilities of the F-35A Lightning II is proving to be a game changer in the Nevada desert. Units from across the Air Force have converged here for Red Flag 17-1, the Air Force’s premier air combat exercise, which pits a friendly force […]https://www.defencetalk.com/f-35a-stealth-brings-flexibility-to-battlespace-69105/

DefenceTalkThe F-35A Lightning II can carry thousands of pounds of bombs, but its ability to gather and share information is just as deadly. Pilots from the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings brought this fifth-generation technology to Red Flag 17-1 air combat exercise here. The F-35 is designed to share what it sees with legacy aircraft, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/interoperability-is-key-to-f-35a-combat-success-69079/

DefenceTalkRed Flag 17-1 is living up to its reputation as a grueling and rigorous test of fighter pilot skills, according to Hill Air Force Base F-35A pilots participating in the premier air-to-air combat exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., from Jan. 23 to Feb. 10. The three-week exercise has friendly ‘Blue Force’ taking on […]https://www.defencetalk.com/red-flag-proves-intense-for-f-35a-pilots-69076/