An F-35A Lightning II, assigned to Hill Air Force Base, Utah, takes off. (U.S. Air Force photo by Anthony Pham)

419th Fighter Wing News

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  • F-35A, maintainers proving reliable at Red Flag

    When it comes to the F-35A, much is made of the edge its fifth-generation technology gives pilots, but America’s newest fighter aircraft is also proving capable in the hands of maintainers.

  • F-35A nearly combat ready

    The first off-station deployment exercise for the F-35A Lightning II confirmed that the Air Force’s newest fighter jet is on track to reach initial operational capability later this year.A declaration of IOC means the F-35A will be combat ready.Seven F-35A aircraft and 181 personnel from Hill’s

  • Hill F-35s form up for combat training

      F-35 pilots here began flying routine four-ship combat training missions at the Utah Test and Training range in the west desert this week. Active duty and Reserve pilots from the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings will use the jet’s intricate computer network to evade a series of simulated threats.

  • Reservist talks ‘maintainer’s dream’

    Staff Sgt. Aaron Ramirez, 419th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, is an aircraft armament systems team chief, better known as a weapons loader. At 25, he’s wrapping up a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, raising a family, and working on the Air Force’s newest fighter jet, the F-35 Lightning II. I

  • Pilot takes final flight in F-16

    Col. David Castaneda, 419th Fighter Wing pilot, took his final flight in the F-16 Fighting Falcon here April 2. Family and coworkers gathered on Hill’s flightline to congratulate Castaneda on his achievement during the wing’s drill weekend.   The newly promoted colonel leaves this month to learn to