AF declares the F-35A ‘combat ready’; testing continues at Edwards

The F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation fighter aircraft was declared ‘combat ready’ by Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the commander of Air Combat Command, August 2nd.

USAF F-35A AF-03 on flight 386 banking away after tanking with a KC-30. [USAF Photo]

Carlisle lauded the aircraft’s performance, noting that the aircraft had met all key criteria for reaching initial operational capability: Airmen trained, manned and equipped to conduct basic close air support, interdiction and limited suppression/destruction of enemy air defenses in a contested environment with an operational squadron of 12-24 aircraft; the ability to deploy and conduct operational missions using program of record weapons and missions systems; and having all necessary logistics and operational elements in place.

“I am proud to announce this powerful new weapons system has achieved initial combat capability,” Carlisle said. “The F-35A will be the most dominant aircraft in our inventory because it can go where our legacy aircraft cannot and provide the capabilities our commanders need on the modern battlefield.”

The F-35A is the latest addition to ACC’s fleet of deployable and fifth-generation aircraft. It provides air superiority, interdiction, suppression of enemy air defenses, and close air support as well as great command and control functions through fused sensors, and it will provide pilots with unprecedented situational awareness of the battlespace that will be more extensive than any single-seat platform in existence.

“Bringing the F-35A to initial combat readiness is a testament to our phenomenal Airmen and the outstanding support of the Joint Program Office and our enterprise partners. This important milestone for our fighter force ensures the United States, along with our allies and international partners, remains prepared to deter, deny, and defeat the full spectrum of growing threats around the globe,” added Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James.

Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David L. Goldfein, said that dynamic new capability will benefit the joint warfighter.

“The combat ready F-35A is the latest fifth-generation fighter aircraft in the Air Force’s inventory and provides our nation air dominance in any environment. The F-35A brings an unprecedented combination of lethality, survivability, and adaptability to joint and combined operations, and is ready to deploy and strike well-defended targets anywhere on Earth,” Goldfein said. “Today’s declaration of IOC is an important milestone on the road to achieving full warfighting capability for the F-35A.”

As commander of the 412th Test Wing, Brig. Gen. Carl Schaefer said he was proud of his team’s contributions toward achieving this milestone, calling it an amazing testament to the 412th Test Wing executing our mission of ensuring war winning capabilities for decades to come.

“We finished up the IOC testing about three months ago for the F-35 and were able to deliver to ACC a product that is ready to go to war today,” Schaefer said. “That was all because of the efforts of the men and women of the 412th Test Wing, the Air Force Test Center, and the (F-35) Joint Program Office and Lockheed.”

The Joint Strike Fighter Integrated Test Force and the 461st Flight Test Squadron are responsible for developmental testing of the F-35 here. Lt. Col. Raja Chari, 461st Flight Test Squadron commander and ITF director, said IOC for the Air Force is significant because it’s a major milestone the ITF has worked towards.

“It’s the second of three IOCs,” he said. …
Read more at F-35 Lightning II news

Let's block ads! (Why?)

from DefenseNewz.com http://ift.tt/2aQQwnH
via Defense News