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Hill AFB Fighter Wings will night fly in Sept.

  • Published
  • By Micah Garbarino
  • 388th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- After Labor Day weekend, the active duty 388th and Reserve 419th Fighter Wings will conduct local night-flying operations with the F-35A Lightning II on most weekdays in September.

During this period, flying is scheduled to be completed by approximately 11 p.m., but exact days and times may vary based on a number of factors including weather, airspace availability on the Utah Test and Training Range, and other support elements.

Hill’s fighter wings must train at night to maintain their combat readiness and all-weather capabilities. Night flying is limited to what is required for pilots to remain proficient in those skills for deployments.

Over the past three years, all three of the wing’s fighter squadrons have deployed in support of combat operations in the Middle East and remain ready when they are called upon. The 34th Fighter Squadron deployed to Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, in support of NATO’s defense posture earlier this year, and the 421st Fighter Squadron deployed to the Pacific region to conduct combat exercises over the summer.

Hill AFB is home to 78 F-35A Lightning IIs. The 388th and Reserve 419th Fighter Wings are the Air Force's first combat-capable F-35A units, and fly and maintain the jet in a Total Force partnership, which capitalizes on the strength of both components.