The U.S. Air Force has performed a huge show of strength by launching 52 fully-armed Lightning II stealth fighters in a single wave from a base in Utah.
The F-35A aircraft, which are worth a total of $4.2 billion, took off in quick succession from the Hill Air Force Base in Utah on Monday as tensions mount in the Middle East over the killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.
Fifty-two is the number of American diplomats and civilians seized by Iran during the 1979 hostage crisis, and the number of targets that Trump has threatened to strike in Iran if the regime retaliates over Soleimani’s death.
The exercise was carried out by the active duty 388th and Reserve 419th Fighter Wings, which said it showed the Air Force’s ability to deploy a large force of the F-35As.
While the exercise has been planned for several months, the execution of it came in the same week the U.S. continues to brace for Iran to respond to the drone strike killing of its most powerful general in Iraq.
The Fighter Wings revealed on Monday that the F-35As have now finally reached full war-fighting capability.
‘We’re ready to fly, fight, and win,’ the 419th Fighter Wings tweeted after the exercise.
They added the exercise ‘pushed the boundaries and tested our Airmen’s ability to deploy the F-35As en masse’.
The 388th Fight Wingers said:
‘The exercise, which was planned for months, demonstrated their ability to employ a large force of F-35As – testing readiness in the areas of personnel accountability, aircraft generation, ground operations, flight operations, and combat capability against air and ground targets.
‘A little more than four years after receiving their first combat-coded F-35A Lightning II aircraft, Hill’s fighter wings have achieved full warfighting capability.’
Each F-35A fighter is worth about $89.2 million
