An F-35A Lightning II aircraft from Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, breaks hard left trailing wingtip vortexes behind as it arrives at Hill Air Force Base, Utah where it will be seen on static display during the 34th Fighter Squadron’s activation ceremony held July 17 at Hill AFB. (U.S. Air Force photo by Alex R. Lloyd/Released)
Hill Air Force Base, Utah, has its new F-35 squadron, but does not have the jets yet.
The 34th Fighter Squadron reactivated during a ceremony July 17 at the base, which will be the first operational home for the Air Force’s variant of the stealth fighter. The squadron returned to life after being deactivated as an F-16 unit in 2010. The squadron can trace its lineage back to World War II through Vietnam, according to the Air Force.
The maintainers who will work on the jets have been at the base for two months to prepare for the arrival. The first jet is expected to arrive in September.
“There (is) a lot of work to be done before we get that first jet,” 34th Fighter Squadron Commander Lt. Col. George Watkins said, according to the American Forces News Service.
The base is scheduled to have 15 F-35s when it becomes the first unit to reach the milestone of initial operating capability. The base will have 72 F-35s by 2019.
