HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah, Sept. 2, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — The active-duty 388th and reserve 419th Fighter Wings will be conducting weeknight flying operations with the F-35A Lightning II throughout September.
Flying operations resume Tuesday and will continue until approximately 11 p.m. each night, according to a news release from Hill Air Force Base. The dates and times of the night flying operations may vary due to several factors, including weather and airspace availability on the Utah Test and Training Range.
“Hill’s fighter wings must train at night to maintain their combat readiness and all-weather capabilities,” the news release states. “Night flying is limited to what is required for pilots to remain proficient in those skills.”
Over the past three years, all three of the wing’s fighter squadrons have deployed in support of combat operations in the Middle East, according to the news release.
The 34th Fighter Squadron deployed to Germany’s Spangdahlem Air Base in support of NATO earlier this year, and the 421st Fighter Squadron deployed to Guam’s Anderson Air Force Base and throughout the Pacific region for agile combat exercises over the summer, Air Force officials said.
Hill AFB is home to 78 F-35A Lightning IIs. The 388th and reserve 419th Fighter Wings are the Air Force’s first combat-capable F-35A units. The units fly and maintain the aircraft, the release states.
Approximately 2,000 airmen and civilian professionals are assigned to the 388th Fighter Wing, Hill AFB officials said.
