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  • F-35A pilots from the 388th and 419th Fighter Wing prepare for takeoff as part of a combat power exercise at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The exercise aims to confirm their ability to quickly employ a large force of jets against air and ground targets, and demonstrate the readiness and lethality of the F-35 Lightning II. As the first combat-ready F-35 units in the Air Force, the 388th and 419th FWs are ready to deploy anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice. (United States Air Force photo/Cynthia Griggs)

    COMBAT POWER: Our best photos

    Hill Air Force Base's 388th and 419th Fighter Wings conducted a combat power exercise Nov. 19 and launched 35 F-35A Lightning IIs within a condensed period of time. Here are the best photos of the day.
  • Pilots from the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings taxi F-35As on the runway in preparation for a combat power exercise Nov. 19, 2018, at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. During the exersice, the wings confirmed their ability to employ a large force of jets against air and ground targets, demonstrating the readiness and lethality of the F-35 Lightning II. As the first combat-ready F-35 units in the Air Force, the 388th and 419th FWs are ready to deploy anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice. (U.S. Air Force Photo By Cynthia Griggs)

    F-35A combat power exercise conducted at Hill AFB

    The active duty 388th Fighter Wing and Air Force Reserve 419th Fighter Wing conducted a combat power exercise Nov. 19, launching dozens of F-35A Lightning IIs within a condensed period of time.
  • A pilot assigned to the 388th Fighter Wing's 34th Fighter Squadron drops a GBU-49 bomb from an F-35A Lightning II Nov. 7. 2018. The 34th FS is the first unit to employ the GBU-49 in combat training. The squadron recently completed a Combat Hammer weapons evaluation exercise at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Pilots say the GBU-49 is effective and accurate and will make the F-35A even more lethal. (Courtesy Photo by 86th Fighter Weapons Squadron)

    388th FW drops GBU-49 in combat training

    The 388th Fighter Wing’s 34th Fighter Squadron recently returned from a weapons evaluation exercise at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, where they employed the GBU-49 for the first time in F-35A combat training. The GBU-49 is a laser and GPS guided bomb that can be used in a variety of conditions against many types of moving or stationary targets. During the weapon’s exercise, known as Combat Hammer, teams assessed the readiness of Hill’s weapons crews, maintainers, and pilots as they built, loaded, and employed the F-35As weapons
  • Two F-35s taxi down a taxi-way at Edwards Air Force Base, Aug. 16, 2017. The 461st Flight Test Squadron have recently begun flight testing the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto GCAS) onboard the F-35 aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Darin Russel)

    F-35s begin Auto GCAS test flights

    The 461st Flight Test Squadron recently began test flight missions with the F-35 aircraft and the Auto GCAS at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
  • BOLT Program at Hill AFB

    F-35 maintainers at Hill shaping future with BOLT

    After several months, an innovative program in the 388th Fighter Wing is proving it has the potential to deliver combat power more efficiently and may shape how the Air Force determines future requirements to sustain F-35A Lightning II operations. The Blended Operational Lightning Technician program could be described as an Air Force version of a start-up company. BOLT combines six maintenance-specific Air Force Specialty Codes, essentially job descriptions, into two “tracks.” Currently there are more than 30 Airmen in the BOLT program. “Blended” maintainers in the Air Vehicle track are crew chiefs, fuels and low observable technicians. Airmen in the Mission Systems track focus on avionics, weapons, and egress.
  • Three U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs, assigned to the 4th Fighter Squadron from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, conduct flight training operations over the Utah Test and Training Range. The F-35A is a single-seat, single engine, fifth generation, multirole fighter that’s able to perform ground attack, reconnaissance and air defense missions with stealth capability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Andrew Lee)

    388th Fighter Wing completes combat exercise

    The 388th Fighter Wing’s 4th Fighter Squadron and 4th Aircraft Maintenance Unit recently completed a combat exercise where they tested and evaluated their capabilities to operate the F-35A Lightning II in a deployed environment. The units focused on combat operations and tactical scenarios – aircraft battle damage, downed-pilot recovery, and fighting in an environment with limited or no communications. Hill AFB is slated to be home to three F-35 fighter squadrons with a total of 78 aircraft by the end of 2019. The active duty 388th FW and Air Force Reserve 419th FW will fly and maintain the jets in a Total Force partnership, which capitalizes on the strength of both components
  • 388th Fighter Wing F-35A maintainers use new tablets to connect with jet.

    New tech to ease F-35A flight line maintenance

    Maintainers on Hill’s flight line are beginning to utilize new high-tech, hand-held tablets to work on the F-35A, America’s most advanced multi-role fighter aircraft. The handheld tablets will augment laptops, called Portable Maintenance Aids, currently used by Airmen to connect to the F-35A’s Autonomic Logistics Information System on the flight line. ALIS is the one stop shop for the “health” of every aircraft – used for tracking everything from flight data to aircraft status and supply information.
  • Pilots from the 388th Fighter Wing’s 4th Fighter Squadron were the first operational unit to fire the F-35A’s 25 mm cannon in a strafing run during training. The two-ship formation fired on two sets of ground targets on the Utah Test and Training range Aug. 13. Loading and firing the cannon was one of the few capabilities Airmen in the 388th and 419th FWs had yet to demonstrate. The F-35A’s internal cannon allows the aircraft to maintain stealth against air adversaries as well as fire more accurately on ground targets, giving pilots more tactical flexibility.

    388th FW dialing-in cannon loading, firing in training

    The 388th Fighter Wing’s 4th Aircraft Maintenance Unit and 4th Fighter Squadron were the first operational units to load and fire the F-35A’s cannon during training Aug. 13, and what they learned will influence how they train and fight. Loading and firing the cannon was one of the few capabilities Airmen in the 388th and 419th FWs had yet to demonstrate as they continue to develop the combat capability of the Air Force’s most advanced multi-role fighter aircraft.
  • Crew chiefs assigned to 421st Aircraft Maintenance Unit prepare to launch F-35A Lightning II fighter jets at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, July 31, 2018. (U.S. Air Force photo by R. Nial Bradshaw)

    388th Fighter Wing standing up final F-35A aircraft maintenance unit

    Hill’s 388th Fighter Wing recently began standing up the last of its aircraft maintenance units, a big step toward receiving the full complement of F-35A Lightning IIs by the end of 2019. The 421st AMU, which will support the 421st Fighter Squadron, is preparing to receive its first aircraft in December. The unit is filling out the roster with new Airmen and training on four jets loaned from other 388th FW units.
  • An F-35A Lightning II aircraft from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, takes off from Nellis AFB, Nevada, Feb. 2. Airmen from the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings at Hill are participating in Red Flag 17-01. Red Flag is the U.S. Air Force’s premier air-to-air combat training exercise. This is the first F-35A deployment to Red Flag since the Air Force declared the jet combat ready in August 2016. (U.S. Air Force photo/R. Nial Bradshaw)

    Hill Airmen, aircraft progress together as F-35A program matures

    Two years after the Air Force declared IOC for the F-35A, pilots and maintainers at Hill’s active duty 388th and reserve 419th Fighter Wings are steadily erasing the word “initial” from in front of “operational capability.” Since the IOC announcement on Aug. 2, 2016, Airmen and the jet have grown together during deployments to Europe and Asia, several combat exercises, weapons evaluations and daily operations.
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