{"id":25325,"date":"2019-04-15T21:33:39","date_gmt":"2019-04-15T21:33:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/04\/15\/f-35-deploys-to-middle-east-for-first-time\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:40:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:40:21","slug":"f-35-deploys-to-middle-east-for-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2019\/04\/15\/f-35-deploys-to-middle-east-for-first-time\/","title":{"rendered":"F-35A deploys to Middle East for first time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force\u2019s most advanced fighter jet has, for the first time, been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2019\/04\/05\/airstrikes-against-isis-dwindle-as-caliphate-crumbles\/\" target=_blank>deployed to the Middle East<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. Air Forces Central Command said in a release that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/digital-show-dailies\/air-warfare-symposium\/2019\/02\/27\/congressional-supporters-stand-ready-to-protect-f-35-from-f-15x-budget-threats\/\" target=_blank>F-35A Lightning IIs<\/a> from the 388th Fighter Wing and the 419th Fighter Wing, both at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, arrived at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/air\/2019\/03\/08\/key-piece-of-f-35-logistics-system-unusable-by-us-air-force-students-instructor-pilots\/\" target=_blank>F-35\u2032s arrival<\/a> comes a little more than a month after B-1B Lancer bombers completed their deployment at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which left the Air Force with no bomber presence in the Middle East. The joint strike fighters will bolster the Air Force\u2019s firepower in the region as the coalition carries out airstrikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan and scattered remnants of the Islamic State.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2019\/02\/20\/air-force-chief-defends-f-35a-against-complaints-boasting-kills-at-red-flag\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5089431.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Air Force chief defends F-35A against critics, boasting kills at Red Flag<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Think of the F-35 as the \u201cquarterback of the joint team,&quot; and not simply another stealth fighter, the Air Force chief of staff said Tuesday.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are adding a cutting-edge weapons system to our arsenal that significantly enhances the capability of the coalition,\u201d said Lt. Gen. Joseph Guastella, commander of AFCENT, in the release. \u201cThe sensor fusion and survivability this aircraft provides to the joint force will enhance security and stability across the theater and deter aggressors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3008\" height=\"2008\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/F-35-Al-Dhafra-2.JPG.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-51010\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/F-35-Al-Dhafra-2.JPG.jpg 3008w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/F-35-Al-Dhafra-2.JPG.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/F-35-Al-Dhafra-2.JPG.jpg?resize=768,513 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/F-35-Al-Dhafra-2.JPG.jpg?resize=1024,684 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/F-35-Al-Dhafra-2.JPG.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/F-35-Al-Dhafra-2.JPG.jpg?resize=2048,1367 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3008px) 100vw, 3008px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A 380th Air Expeditionary Maintenance Group crew chief meets an F-35A Lightning IIs pilot at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, April 15, 2019. The F-35A Lightning II is deployed to the Air Forces Central Command Area of Responsibility for the first time in U.S. Air Force history. (Staff Sgt. Chris Thornbury\/Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The F-35A is a stealth fighter with an advanced sensor package that was designed to replace aging air frames such as the F-16 and A-10. The Air Force said it is designed to fuse, integrate and share data with other assets on the battlefield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe F-35A provides our nation air dominance in any threat,\u201d Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein said in the release. \u201cWhen it comes to having a quarterback for the coalition joint force, the inter-operable F-35A is clearly the aircraft for the leadership role.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AFCENT spokeswoman Maj. Holly Brauer declined to specify how many F-35As had been deployed to Al Dhafra, as well as the number of airmen present to support the deployment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She also would not confirm whether the aircraft will take part on missions on behalf of Operation Inherent Resolve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDuring their deployment, the Airmen will fly operational and other missions as assigned,\u201d she said. \u201cConsistent with operations security, we will not discuss employment details in advance. The F-35A and their crews will bring the advanced capabilities to the CENTCOM commander\u2019s wide range of options.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2017, the fifth-generation fighter also deployed to RAF-Lakenheath in the United Kingdom and the U.S. Pacific Command area of responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 388th is an active-duty wing, and the 419th is a reserve wing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Defense News\u2019 Valerie Insinna in Washington contributed to this report. <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The F-35\u2032s arrival comes a little more than a month after B-1B Lancer bombers completed their deployment at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":51006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":67,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news","left-column","home"],"primary_category":"your-military"},"10":{"categories":["air","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"air"}}},"categories":[101,24,88,16,26,67],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3320],"class_list":["post-25325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-air-force"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"7QRR5KT7UJCIDCK6WT2RDEPUHI","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-air-force\/2019\/04\/15\/f-35-deploys-to-middle-east-for-first-time\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>F-35A deploys to Middle East for first time - Air Force TImes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The F-35\u2032s arrival comes a little more than a month after B-1B Lancer bombers completed their deployment at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"F-35A deploys to Middle East for first time\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The F-35\u2032s arrival comes a little more than a month after B-1B Lancer bombers completed their deployment at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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