Combat aircraft

‘VIGILANT ACE’

SHOWS STRENGTH

IN THE PACIFIC

S

IX F22A RAPTORS

from the US Air Force’s

3rd Wing at Joint Base

Elmendorf-Richardson,

Alaska, deployed to

South Korea in December

for participation in the USAF-led joint

exercise ‘Vigilant Ace’, which ran from

December 4-8. The Raptors arrived at

South Korea’s Gwangju Air Base from

Kadena AB, Okinawa, on December

2 and were joined by six F-35As from

the forward-deployed 34th Fighter

Squadron that arrived at Kunsan AB,

South Korea from their temporary

home at Kadena AB. Additionally,

F-35Bs from Marine Fighter Attack

Squadron (VMFA) 121 ‘Green

Knights’ participated in the exercise

but operated from their home

station at Marine Corps Air Station

Iwakuni, Japan.

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INITIAL OPERATIONAL

CAPABILITY FOR F-35I

THE ISRAELI AIR Force’s F-35I

 eet formally achieved initial

operational capability (IOC)

on December 6. Nine Adirs are

currently assigned to 140 ‘Golden

Eagle’ Squadron. Israel accepted its

 rst two F-35Is in late December

2016 and its most recent delivery

occurred in November when two

additional  ghters touched down

at Nevatim Air Base in central

Israel. Israel has ordered 50 F-35Is

against a planned acquisition of

75 and deliveries will run until

December 2024.

Tom Kaminski

LAST FIGHTING FALCON

LEAVES FORT WORTH

THE FINAL F16 produced at

Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth,

Texas, factory departed from

the facility on November 14.

The aircraft was the last of 36

produced for the Iraqi Air Force

(IQAF). The former General

Dynamics facility, which is located

adjacent to Naval Air Station Fort

Worth Joint Reserve Base, had

produced 3,620 of the single-

engine  ghters since the  rst

production aircraft was rolled out

in August 1978.

The F-16 production line is

being relocated to another

Lockheed Martin facility in

Greenville, South Carolina,

where the contractor also hopes

to assemble T-50 jet trainers

for the US Air Force. The F-

has become one of the most

successful  ghters of all time and

4,588 have been delivered to 28

customers worldwide. Lockheed

Martin purchased the General

Dynamics  ghter business in

1993. Tom Kaminski

F-16C RA-28, the last Fighting Falcon from the Fort Worth production

line, departs the facility for Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona on

November 14. Carl Richards

Three F-35I Adir fi ghters land at Nevatim, where the type has now been

cleared ready for combat. IAF/Celia Garion

The fi rst F-35B produced by the FACO plant in Cameri, MM7451 (BL-1),

performs a short landing, with dorsal air intake open and rear nozzle

defl ected, on November 22. Paolo Rollino

FIRST STOVL FLIGHT

FOR ITALIAN F-35B

THE FIRST ITALIANBUILT F-35B has

completed its initial short take-

o and vertical landing (STOVL)

 ight. The sorties, completed with

Lockheed Martin pilots at the

controls, were made from Cameri,

home of the Italian  nal assembly

and check-out (FACO) facility.

Lockheed Martin F-35 test pilot

Paul ‘Hat’ Hattendorf completed the

maiden  ight on October 25. On

October 30, during the third and

 nal acceptance  ight, Hattendorf

successfully operated the jet in all its

STOVL modes, including hovering

over the runway.

After delivery of Italy’s  rst

F-35B to the Italian Defense

Ministry, an Italian pilot is

scheduled to  y it to Naval Air

Station Patuxent River, Maryland,

early in 2018 to conduct required

electromagnetic environmental

e ects certi cation.

To date, eight F-35As have also

been delivered from the Cameri

FACO; four of those jets are now

based at Luke Air Force Base,

Arizona, for international pilot

training and four are at Amendola

air base, near Foggia on the

Adriatic coast.

HEADLINES [NEWS]

http://www.combataircraft.net // February 2018 07

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