F-35A makes second CENTCOM deployment as IOT&E progresses
Lockheed Martin F-35A Joint Strike Fighters of the USAF have been deployed, for the second time, to the US Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR), Brig Gen David Abba, USAF F-35 integration office director, said at a briefing in Washington on 7 March.
The F-35As of the 34th Fighter Squadron, from Hill AFB, Utah, are operating from Al Dhafra Air Base, UAE.
The first F-35A CENTCOM deployment, from April to October 2019, was a success. ‘They went straight into combat ops and their numbers were remarkable’, Abba said.
Fully mission capable (FMC) rates ‘started in the low 70s percentages and
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