190531-F-UP786-423
An F-35A Lightning II fighter jet from the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, takes off May 31, 2019, at Aviano Air Base, Italy. The F-35A is the U.S. Air Force’s latest fifth-generation fighter that complements the air superiority of other fourth and fifth-generation aircrafts. Airmen from the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings are in Europe as part of a Theater Security Package. Currently they are participating in Astral Knight 2019, a joint and multinational exercise that involves airmen, soldiers and sailors from the United States, and airmen from Croatia, Italy, and Slovenia. The exercise is an integrated air and missile defense exercise focused on defending key terrain. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jim Araos)