LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- The F-35A Lightning II fifth generation fighter aircraft was declared ‘combat ready’ today by Gen. Hawk Carlisle, Air Combat Command commander.
"This is a proud day for the Airmen here at Luke,” said Col. David Shoemaker, 56th FW vice commander. “Initial operational capability is a validation of our mission to train F-35 pilots and maintainers. Today is the culmination of years of work by our Airmen.”
Carlisle lauded the aircraft’s performance, noting that the aircraft had met all key criteria for reaching IOC: Airmen trained, manned and equipped to conduct basic close air support, interdiction, and limited suppression/destruction of enemy air defenses in a contested environment with an operational squadron of 12 to 24 aircraft; the ability to deploy and conduct operational missions using program-of-record weapons and missions systems; and having all necessary logistics and operational elements in place.
“I am proud to announce this powerful new weapons system has achieved initial combat capability,” Carlisle said. “The F-35A will be the most dominant aircraft in our inventory, because it can go where our legacy aircraft cannot and provide the capabilities our commanders need on the modern battlefield.”
Throughout the road to IOC, many crucial portions of the F-35A’s journey to mission operability were fulfilled right here at Luke Air Force Base, making the announcement of IOC particularly significant for the Thunderbolts of the 56th Fighter Wing.
“We focused on training a highly capable cadre of instructor pilots and maintenance professionals and they work tirelessly to refine, validate and verify our training program to meet the needs of our Air Force,” Shoemaker said. “Team Luke will continue to play a vital role in producing the world's greatest, most lethal fighter pilots for the combat Air Force."
Luke’s contribution to the mission as the largest F-35 training base continues to develop as its third F-35 squadron opened yesterday and the 100th fighter is scheduled to arrive at the end of the week.
The F-35A is the latest addition to ACC’s fleet of deployable and fifth generation aircraft. It provides air superiority, interdiction, suppression of enemy air defenses and close air support as well as great command and control functions through fused sensors, and will provide pilots with unprecedented situational awareness of the battlespace that will be more extensive than any single-seat platform in existence.
“Bringing the F-35A to initial combat readiness is a testament to our phenomenal Airmen and the outstanding support of the Joint Program Office and our enterprise partners,” said Deborah Lee James, Secretary of the Air Force. “This important milestone for our fighter force ensures the United States, along with our allies and international partners, remains prepared to deter, deny, and defeat the full spectrum of growing threats around the globe.”