The first Europe-bound training deployment of the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A Joint Strike Fighter was made official Saturday when several of the jets touched down at Royal Air Force base Lakenheath, England.
It is the aircraft’s first overseas training deployment to Europe, though short-takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) versions of the aircraft flew across the Atlantic to participate in the Farnborough Air Show in 2016.
The F-35As are from the 34th Fighter Squadron, 388th Fighter Wing and the Air Force Reserve’s 466th Fighter Squadron, 419th Fighter Wing, all based at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. They will conduct air training over the next several weeks with other Europe-based aircraft in support of the European Reassurance Initiative (ERI).
“This is an incredible opportunity for USAFE Airmen and our NATO allies to host this first overseas training deployment of the F-35A aircraft,” said Gen. Tod D. Wolters, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, and Africa. “As we and our joint F-35 partners bring this aircraft into our inventories, it’s important that we train together to integrate into a seamless team capable of defending the sovereignty of allied nations.”
The Air Force made its F-35A battle-ready last year with a declaration in late summer of initial operational capability. The Air Force had plans to deploy the jets to Europe before the ERI was put into place to bolster NATO against Russian saber rattling along the alliance’s eastern frontier.
“RAF Lakenheath will be the first overseas beddown location for the F-35A, this deployment allows our pilots and maintainers to learn more about the European operating environment and will improve our interoperability with partners in the region” Wolters added.
As part of the training deployment, the aircraft will forward-deploy to NATO nations to maximize training opportunities, build partnerships with allied air forces and gain a broad familiarity of Europe’s diverse operating conditions, according to the F-35 Joint Program Office.
The introduction of the fifth-generation fighter to the European area of responsibility brings with it state-of-the-art sensors, interoperability, and a broad array of advanced air-to-air and air-to-surface munitions that will help maintain the fundamental sovereignty rights of all nations, the Defense Department said.
The transatlantic flight for this training deployment was supported by Air Mobility Command and the 100th Air Refueling Wing based at RAF Mildenhall, England. Multiple air refueling aircraft from four different bases offloaded more than 400,000 pounds of fuel during the “tanker bridge” from the United States to Europe. Additionally, C-17 and C-5 aircraft provided airlift support, moving maintenance equipment and personnel.