{"id":32113,"date":"2021-05-25T05:40:03","date_gmt":"2021-05-25T05:40:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2021\/05\/25\/new-lead-wing-deployment-plan-for-combat-aircraft-is-tested-refined\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:15:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:15:00","slug":"new-lead-wing-deployment-plan-for-combat-aircraft-is-tested-refined","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2021\/05\/25\/new-lead-wing-deployment-plan-for-combat-aircraft-is-tested-refined\/","title":{"rendered":"New \u2018lead wing\u2019 deployment plan for combat aircraft is being tested, refined"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Air Force is mulling a major overhaul of how it deploys fighter jets and other combat planes overseas, in an effort that could eventually expand to its entire inventory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the next two years, the service plans to hold a series of exercises that will help it decide how to bring that vision, known as \u201clead wing,\u201d to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, the Air Force released a directive to rethink how the service heads overseas \u2014 specifically, to mature new air expeditionary task forces that can smoothly jump around the world as threats arise. The lead wing concept is part of that broader effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paired with the agile combat employment initiative \u2014 which aims to send smaller, multiskilled teams into combat rather than rely on a massive manpower footprint \u2014 the Air Force aims to become more effective and stop cherry-picking units to go to war.<\/p>\n\n\n\t