U.S. Air Force F-35A Sees First Combat Action | Aviation International News

U.S. Air Force F-35A Sees First Combat Action

F-35As have been flying operational missions as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. Now the aircraft have released weapons for the first time.

Two F-35As refuel from a KC-10A Extender during the mission over Iraq on April 30, in the course of which targets were attacked for the first time. The aircraft are equipped with external pylons for AIM-9X air-to-air missiles, with JDAM bombs carried internally. (Photo: U.S. Central Command)

By David Donald • Contributor - UK

May 1, 2019

Two F-35As from Hill AFB, Utah have flown the first combat missions by the type in U.S. Air Force hands, following the recent arrival of the type in the UAE to support Operation Inherent Resolve. On April 30 the two aircraft conducted an air strike at Wadi Ashai in Iraq. GPS-guided Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) weapons were released against an “entrenched Daesh tunnel network and weapons cache deep in the Hamrin Mountains,” according to the U.S. Central Command.

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