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The U.S. Air Force’s first operational F-35 squadron is slated to receive the first fully combat-capable aircraft in September, as the service contemplates sending the stealth fighter to the Pacific.
The 34th Fighter Squadron, known as the “Rude Rams,” of Hill AFB, Utah, is set to receive aircraft equipped with the final Block 3F software next month, which most critically will allow the fighter to employ its full suite of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons. Luke AFB, Arizona, the Air Force’s primary F-35 training squadron, will be the next to get the 3F capability, also in September, according to service spokesman Capt. Mark Graff.
The news comes as the Air Force is planning a possible deployment to the Asia-Pacific, where tensions are running high over North Korea’s nuclear program. The U.S. Marine Corps already has F-35Bs stationed in Japan, but those aircraft are in an interim configuration and do not have final warfighting capability. Deploying the Air Force’s F-35A to the region with a full weapons loadout would send a strong signal of U.S. strength.
Top Air Force officials including former Secretary Deborah Lee James and Maj. Gen. Jerry Harris, the service’s deputy chief of staff for strategic plans, programs and requirements, have said publicly that a Pacific F-35 deployment is on the books for later this year.
Although current Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson would not confirm those plans, she stressed that the aircraft are ready to go if called upon. In fact, the Rude Rams completed their first overseas deployment to RAF Lakenheath this spring to train alongside NATO partners.
“If a contingency should occur, if there were a problem, they are ready to go to combat,” Wilson said during an Aug. 25 press conference at the Pentagon.
The Air Force declared the Rude Rams ready for war last summer with a limited, interim capability, Block 3i. Block 3F will allow the F-35A to for the first time to employ its full range of weapons, including air-to-air missiles such as Raytheon’s short-range AIM-9X Sidewinder (carried externally) and selected air-to-ground munitions such as Boeing’s precision-guided Small Diameter Bomb 1. It also allows the F-35 to employ its internal gun through the full flight envelope, a crucial piece of the aircraft’s ability to perform close-air support.
In addition, 3F will provide enhanced sensor and targeting capabilities for air-to-ground munitions, improved moving target attack capability, improved data links and improved threat countermeasures, Graff said.
The F-35 Joint Program Office and manufacturer Lockheed Martin are finishing up development and operational test of the 3F software load at Edwards AFB, California.
By the early-2020s, more than 100 F-35s will be in the Asia-Pacific region, including 42 operated by Japan and 40 by South Korea, along with forward deployments by the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy.
http://aviationweek.com/awindefense/first-f-35a-squadrons-get-full-combat-capability-september
The 34th Fighter Squadron, known as the “Rude Rams,” of Hill AFB, Utah, is set to receive aircraft equipped with the final Block 3F software next month, which most critically will allow the fighter to employ its full suite of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons. Luke AFB, Arizona, the Air Force’s primary F-35 training squadron, will be the next to get the 3F capability, also in September, according to service spokesman Capt. Mark Graff.
The news comes as the Air Force is planning a possible deployment to the Asia-Pacific, where tensions are running high over North Korea’s nuclear program. The U.S. Marine Corps already has F-35Bs stationed in Japan, but those aircraft are in an interim configuration and do not have final warfighting capability. Deploying the Air Force’s F-35A to the region with a full weapons loadout would send a strong signal of U.S. strength.
Top Air Force officials including former Secretary Deborah Lee James and Maj. Gen. Jerry Harris, the service’s deputy chief of staff for strategic plans, programs and requirements, have said publicly that a Pacific F-35 deployment is on the books for later this year.
Although current Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson would not confirm those plans, she stressed that the aircraft are ready to go if called upon. In fact, the Rude Rams completed their first overseas deployment to RAF Lakenheath this spring to train alongside NATO partners.
“If a contingency should occur, if there were a problem, they are ready to go to combat,” Wilson said during an Aug. 25 press conference at the Pentagon.
The Air Force declared the Rude Rams ready for war last summer with a limited, interim capability, Block 3i. Block 3F will allow the F-35A to for the first time to employ its full range of weapons, including air-to-air missiles such as Raytheon’s short-range AIM-9X Sidewinder (carried externally) and selected air-to-ground munitions such as Boeing’s precision-guided Small Diameter Bomb 1. It also allows the F-35 to employ its internal gun through the full flight envelope, a crucial piece of the aircraft’s ability to perform close-air support.
In addition, 3F will provide enhanced sensor and targeting capabilities for air-to-ground munitions, improved moving target attack capability, improved data links and improved threat countermeasures, Graff said.
The F-35 Joint Program Office and manufacturer Lockheed Martin are finishing up development and operational test of the 3F software load at Edwards AFB, California.
By the early-2020s, more than 100 F-35s will be in the Asia-Pacific region, including 42 operated by Japan and 40 by South Korea, along with forward deployments by the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy.
http://aviationweek.com/awindefense/first-f-35a-squadrons-get-full-combat-capability-september
