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  • PHOTOS: Hill F-35A sunset launch

    The active duty 388th and Reserve 419th Fighter Wings from Hill Air Force Base conducted local night flying operations this week. The wings are required to train at night to maintain their readiness and all-weather capabilities. Increased flying also provides a valuable opportunity to evaluate the

  • Keep on truckin': F-35 pilot requalifies to refuel aircraft

    Several F-35A Lightning II aircraft arrived here as part of a Theater Security Package. For one pilot, the Spangdahlem flightline was familiar territory. U.S. Air Force Maj. Michael Slotten, 421st Fighter Squadron F-35A pilot, who was stationed here in 2004 as an Airman first class fuels distributor

  • Rapid Forge begins at Spangdahlem Air Base

    U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle's, assigned to the 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, and U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II, assigned to the 421st Fighter Squadron, Hill Air Force Base, Utah take off from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, July 16, 2019, during

  • Largest off-station F-35A operation to date

    Since May 30, the 388th Fighter Wing’s 34th Fighter Squadron has been flying out of Mountain Home in what has been the largest off-station F-35A Lightning II operation to date.The squadron, normally stationed at Hill AFB, Utah, is functioning as a detachment with about 300 Airmen in operations,

  • Exercise Point Blank fires on all cylinders

    The 100th Air Refueling Wing, RAF Mildenhall, England, refueled several F-35A Lightning IIs, assigned to the 388th Fighter Wing, in support of Exercise Point Blank, over the North Sea, June 27, 2019. Point Blank is an exercise focused on fourth and fifth-generation aircraft integration. It is

  • F-35 transported via C-17

    An F-35 Lightning II was loaded into a C-17 Globemaster by 96th Logistics Readiness Squadron aerial porters May 8 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. This was the first-ever F-35 wing removal and shipment via air transport. The $200,000 four-year project culminated in the transport of the aircraft to

  • Hill’s fighter wings demonstrate global reach with F-35A

    In a seven-day span, Airmen from Hill Air Force Base’s active duty 388th and Reserve 419th Fighter Wings have been on the ground in nine different countries on three different continents and met every tasking asked of them by the Air Force.

  • Hill F-35As arrive at Spangdahlem

    The U.S. Air Force has deployed one squadron of F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft, Airmen, and associated equipment to Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, from the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings, at Hill AFB, Utah, to participate in exercises and conduct training with other Europe-based aircraft as part

  • Hill Airmen bring F-35A, fifth-gen capabilities to European defense exercise

    Airmen deployed from the active duty 388th and Reserve 419th Fighter Wings at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, recently wrapped up the U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs first participation in a large, European air-and-missile defense exercise.The focus of the multi-national exercise, Astral Knight 2019,

  • Load 'em up: F-35A from A to B? Ask Fanter

    How do you pack an F-35A into a C-17? Or move nearly 300 Airmen, and all the equipment, to support 12 aircraft around Europe for two months? Or make sure you have enough of everything that you’ll need, and almost nothing that you don’t?For nearly 5 years at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, the answer has

  • US, UAE fly to build interoperability

    United Arab Emirates Air Force Mirage 2000, a UAE F-16 Desert Falcon and a U.S. F-35A Lightning II fly a partnering flight in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 29, 2019. The flight was conducted to continue building military-to-military relationships and interoperability with the

  • Hill F-35As transition to Mountain Home during runway closure

    This week, the 34th Fighter Squadron and 34th Aircraft Maintenance Unit will transition F-35A Lightning II operations to Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, as the runway here closes for construction.More than 250 Airmen from the active duty 388th and Reserve 419th Fighter Wings and up to 24

  • Hill Airmen deploy F-35 to Europe as part of Theater Security Package

    The U.S. Air Force has deployed one squadron of F-35A Lightning II fighter jets, Airmen, and associated equipment to Aviano Air Base, Italy, from the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings, at Hill AFB, Utah, to participate in exercises and conduct training with other Europe-based aircraft as part of a

  • AFCENT aircraft fly deterrence for region

    U. S. Air Force F-15C Eagles, F-35A Lightning IIs and B-52H Stratofortress aircraft flew deterrence missions in the U.S. Air Forces Central Command area of responsibility, supporting U.S. and Coalition aircraft in various operations conducted in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.

  • Hill fighter wings conduct combat exercise

    The active duty 388th and Reserve 419th Fighter Wings conducted an integrated combat capability exercise April 30-May 2.The friendly and enemy forces were made up of F-35s from Hill, F-16s from the 311th Fighter Squadron at Holloman AFB, New Mexico and 80th FS at Kunsan Air Base, Korea, and a team

  • Combat exercise, weapons evaluations mean busy May at Hill

    Communities surrounding Hill Air Force Base will notice increased flying and numbers of aircraft through much of May as the base’s fighter wings conduct a large combat exercise and host a weapons evaluation.The active duty 388th Fighter Wing and Reserve 419th Fighter Wing, along with F-16 units from

  • F-35A crew swap provides flexibility for training, combat

    Maintainers and pilots in the 388th Fighter Wing recently completed the first operational rapid crew swap exercise with the F-35A Lightning II.Other aircraft like bombers, tankers, helicopters, and twin engine fighters have been doing ‘hot crew swaps’ for some time. Until now, it hasn’t been safe to

  • F-35A maintainers, special ops team for forward refueling

    America’s most advanced aircraft integrated with a variant of one of its oldest and truest airframes this week to provide more combat flexibility to the Air Force.For the first time, Airmen from the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill AFB, Utah, and Airmen from the 26th Special Tactics Squadron and the 27th

  • Red Flag strengthens F-35A maintainers

    After more than two weeks launching F-35A sorties at Red Flag 19-1, maintainers with the 388th Fighter Wing are impressed with the jet and the young airmen who help maintain it. The 4th Fighter Squadron and 4th Aircraft maintenance unit brought 12 jets and more than 200 Airmen from Hill Air Force

  • 'Trial by Flag' for new F-35A pilots

    The desert screams by below. The clouds scream by above. Both stretch on into the horizon. It’s deceptively calm in the cockpit. There’s a constant, seemingly discordant stream of chatter coming through his helmet. The digital screens in front of him, along with images projected onto his visor,

  • 'Lethal' F-35A heading to Red Flag 19-1

    Pilots and maintainers from the 388th Fighter Wing are bringing the F-35A and ‘increased lethality’ as they take a lead role in Red Flag 19-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, From Jan. 26 - Feb. 15, approximately 200 Airmen from Hill AFB, including reservists from the 419th Fighter Wing, will

  • 421st Fighter Squadron and AMU receive first F-35A

    The 421st Fighter Squadron here received its first F-35A Lightning II Dec. 12. The squadron is the last of three squadrons in Hill’s 388th Fighter Wing to take possession of combat-ready aircraft, bringing the 388th Fighter Wing closer to full strength. The arrival of the first jets in the 421st

  • 31st TES begins F-35 Initial Operational Test and Evaluation

    The 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron kicked off the DoD’s F-35 Initial Operational Test and Evaluation with a large force employment sortie from Edwards AFB, Calif. Dec. 5. During the IOT&E phase the 31st TES F-35 pilots will fly over 30 missions designed to fully evaluate the complete air system

  • AIR FORCE TO CONDUCT FIRST POST HURRICANE AIR-TO-AIR EXERCISE AT TYNDALL,

    The 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group will conduct its first post-Hurricane Michael COMBAT ARCHER Dec. 3-14. This COMBAT ARCHER will exercise and evaluate the air-to-air weapon system capability of F-22s from the 27th Fighter Squadron from Langley AFB, Va and two F-35s from the 58th Fighter Squadron at

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • Republic of Korea Air Force F-35A pilot takes first flight

    After a year of preparation and instruction through the 944th Operations Group Detachment 2, Lockheed Martin and their active duty team members at the 56th Fighter Wing, Maj. Kiyun Jung, ROKAF F-35A pilot, flew his first solo mission.

  • Checkered Flag 18-2 takes to the skies at Tyndall

    Checkered Flag 18-2, a large force exercise, kicked off at Tyndall July 9, 2018, and will conclude July 20.Checkered Flag is a large-scale aerial exercise designed to integrate fourth and fifth-generation airframes to enhance the capabilities of Airmen while providing training to rapidly respond to

  • Airmen, jets return from Japan deployment

    Airmen and F-35A aircraft from the active duty 388th Fighter Wing and Reserve 419th Fighter Wing returned here May 4-5 following a six-month deployment to Kadena Air Base, Japan. The deployment was part of a routine “theater security package” that demonstrates continuing U.S. commitment to stability

  • Red Flag 17-3 kicking up summer heat with AF, Marine F-35s

    The U.S. Air Force began Red Flag 17-3, its three-week air-to-air combat training exercise, today and will conclude July 28.Each Red Flag exercise is unique and Red Flag 17-3 is no different. For the first time, there will be two F-35 Lightning II squadrons participating. The Marine Corps’ F-35Bs

  • F-35As arrive in Bulgaria

    Two F-35A Lightning II aircraft and approximately 20 supporting Airmen arrived at Graf Ignatievo Air Base, Bulgaria, today, from RAF Lakenheath, England. The F-35As are participating in the first-ever training deployment to Europe. The aircraft and total force Airmen are from the 34th Fighter

  • Hill F-16 squadron celebrating 40 years of combat airpower, part 1

    Forty years ago, the United States Air Force announced that the 388th Fighter Wing would be the first unit to transition to the F-16 Fighting Falcon, now more commonly known as the Viper. Thirty-eight years ago, the first operational F-16A took to the skies here and the Viper has been slipping the

  • Breaking News: Air Force declares the F-35A ‘combat ready’

    The F-35A Lightning II fifth generation fighter aircraft was declared ‘combat ready’ today by Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the commander of Air Combat Command.Carlisle lauded the aircraft’s performance, noting that the aircraft had met all key criteria for reaching initial operational capability.Airmen

  • AF commanders aim to ensure smooth take-off for F-35A

    Wing commanders from U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor and F-35A Lightning II units met at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, July 20-21 to discuss integration of the two aircraft. The conference focused on joint training, maintenance techniques, manpower and strategies to develop successful integration the