Two F-35 fighter jets from Hill Air Force Base conducted an air strike Tuesday in Iraq, marking the first time this particular aircraft has fought in a combat mission.
The F-35A Lightning IIs attacked a Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL) tunnel network and weapons cache inside the Hamrin Mountains near Wadi Ashai, Iraq, according to an Air Force base news release.
The ISIS compound was located where enemy fighters could “threaten friendly forces,” the release said. The strike was part of Operation Inherent Resolve.
The F-35s — which deployed alongside active duty service members in the 388th and Reserve 419th Fighter Wings — arrived in the United Arab Emirates to join the Combined Forces Air Component team in the U.S. Central Command area on April 15, according to the release.
Utah’s fleet of F-35s have been a target of criticism because of the hefty cost of purchasing and maintaining the state-of-the-art jet, which was meant to replace existing aircraft in the U.S. Navy, Marines Corps and Air Force, such as the F-16s and the A-10s.
A 2013 Government Accountability Office report found it would cost $18.2 billion a year to maintain the U.S. fleet of F-35s, which is about 60 percent more than the annual costs for operating and maintaining the aircraft they are replacing.
President Donald Trump weighed in on the jets before he was sworn into office, tweeting, “The F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th.”
Utah’s Congressional delegation stood by the fighter jets, with then-Sen. Orrin Hatch saying, “In future conversations [with Trump], I plan to emphasize the superior capabilities of the F-35 and the indispensable role this aircraft plays in our national defense strategy. The F-35 has overcome many of the inevitable problems that occur when fielding any new fighter. Thanks in no small part to the extraordinary work of the men and women at Hill Air Force Base, the F-35 is now operational and ready for combat.”
F-35s started arriving at Hill Air Force Base in 2013. The first “combat-capable” F-35s came to the base in October 2015, according to the news release.
