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HILL AIR FORCE BASE — With a certain amount of fanfare, top Air Force leaders were in Utah Friday to declare the first 15 F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation fighter aircraft ready for combat.
“Every adversary is going to fear us, and they’re going to fear our airplane because of what our airmen have done with the F-35,” said Gen. Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command.
Right now, the F-35A meets basic combat readiness. It could be deployed today, if necessary. But with 15 of them at Hill Air Force Base, with hopes to eventually bring a fleet of 78, there's still a lot of untapped potential in the planes.
Pilots like Lt. Col. Curtis Pitts are hand-picked for the program.
“To actually have it come to completion, to have the celebration today just shows the dedication and commitment of the people of the 388th Fighter Wing and the 419th Fighter Wing,” Pitts said. “You always want to fly the newest, most capable aircraft because, in all reality, we train for combat, and this brings the combat capability to the warfighter.”
As the fleet grows, many dozens in support staff are also brought on to help bring this fighter to its full potential.
“No doubt whatsoever in my mind that by pairing air, space, cyberspace and cyberspace technologies together, America's airmen and the F-35A will lead the joint force,” said Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James.
A total of 78 of the fighter jets, each costing $130 million, and their pilots will be permanently based in Utah. One to two additional jets are expected to arrive every month until the full fleet is in place sometime in 2019.
There's been a lot of criticism of the F-35A because of the cost — hundreds of billions of dollars for the fleet — and military leaders agree there is a need to lower the cost of the F-35A.
"Buying the aircraft at the best price possible is important, but then as we fly it, and as we maintain it through the years and sustain it, we also need to do our best (to keep) those costs down," James said.
As time goes on, congressional leaders say the fighter will prove to be an important element in the nation's security.
"This is the most devastating Air Force plane ever developed by mankind, and it keeps us No. 1 in the world," Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said Friday.
"This is not just an economic driver for Utah," added Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah. "This is a base that is critical to our national defense. The No. 1 responsibility for Congress is still defense of this country."
Contributing: Viviane Vo-Duc
