Fighter Jet News

F-35 Lightning II News

New F-35 depot maintenance workload arrives at Hill AFB

September 16, 2013 (by 75th ABWPA) - The Ogden Air Logistics Complex commander, Maj. Gen. H. Brent Baker Sr., will host an F-35A Lightning II welcome ceremony at 10 a.m. Sept. 20 to officially commemorate the beginning of depot maintenance at Hill.

USAF F-35A #10-5009 is the first Lightning II ever to land at Hill AFB, arriving on September 13th, 2013. The multirole, fifth-generation fighter arrived from the 422nd TES, Nellis AFB and is scheduled to undergo post-production modifications at the Ogden ALC. [USAF photo by Alex R. Lloyd]

The F-35A Joint Strike Fighter is a multi-variant, multi-role 5th Generation Fighter, and will undergo organic depot modification work at Hill AFB. This work will be accomplished under a public-private partnership with Lockheed Martin aerospace company and the Ogden Air Logistics Complex.

The ceremony will include local community and elected officials along with Lockheed Martin executives who have supported the Ogden Air Logistics Complex efforts in acquiring this workload for depot maintenance. This ceremony marks the beginning of depot maintenance of the F-35 at Hill and is not a basing decision.

The primary speakers will be Lorraine Martin, Lockheed Martin's Executive Vice President and General Manager of the F-35 Lightning II Program; Rear Adm. Randolph Mahr, DOD F-35 Deputy Program Director; Lt. Gen. Bruce Litchfield, Air Force Sustainment Center commander and Sen.Orrin Hatch. Other attendees will include Sen. Mike Lee, Reps. Rob Bishop and Chris Stewart, Utah Lt. Gov. Greg Bell and members of the Utah State House and Senate.

The first F-35 arrived at Hill AFB from the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev., on Sept. 13. It will undergo post-production modifications here.

The F-35 Lightning II combines advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment. Three distinct variants of the F-35 will eventually replace the A-10 and F-16 for the U.S. Air Force, the F/A-18 for the U.S. Navy, the F/A-18 and AV-8B Harrier for the U.S. Marine Corps, and a variety of fighters for at least ten other countries.


Courtesy of 75th Air Base Wing Public Affairs



Additional images:

USAF F-35A #10-5009 is the first Lightning II ever to land at Hill AFB, arriving on September 13th, 2013. The multirole, fifth-generation fighter arrived from the 422nd TES, Nellis AFB and is scheduled to undergo post-production modifications at the Ogden ALC. [USAF photo by Alex R. Lloyd]