The additional aircraft are expected to be used as leverage in the Trump administration’s ongoing diplomacy with Iran—but could also participate in airstrikes if talks fail to produce results.

A dozen F-35A Lightning IIs assigned to the Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing are now headed to the Middle East as part of the United States military’s buildup in the Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility. According to reports, the aircraft are taking at least two unique routes, with stopovers at Lajes Field in the Azores, the mid-Atlantic island chain that is Portuguese territory, and then either at Royal Air Force (RAF) Lakenheath or Morón Air Base, Spain.

It isn’t clear why the decision to split the aircraft was made, but the flight path of the stealth planes has been closely monitored, as six of the fighters accompanied by KC-135 Stratotankers began their trek across the Atlantic from Puerto Rico—where they had previously been deployed as part of last month’s Operation Absolute Resolve, the US mission to capture Venezuela’s former president Nicolás Maduro.

Six other aircraft returned to Vermont before flying to Lakenheath, arriving on Thursday.

The F-35 Lightning II’s Specifications (F-35A)

• Year Introduced: 2015
• Number Built: ~1,000
• Length: 51 ft 4 in (15.7 m)
• Wingspan: 35 ft (10.7 m)
• Weight (MTOW): ~70,000 lb (31,800 kg)
• Engines: One Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 afterburning turbofan
• Top Speed: ~1,200 mph (1,930 km/h) / Mach 1.6
• Range: ~1,380 mi (2,220 km)
• Service Ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,240 m)
• Loadout:
  • One GAU-22/A 25mm rotary cannon
  • Internal bays; can hold up to 4 AIM-120 AMRAAMs (or 2 AMRAAMs and 2 bombs)
  • External hardpoints; 18,000 lb (8,160 kg) payload capacity
• Aircrew: 1

America Is Building Up an Air Armada in the Middle East

The fifth-generation conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) stealth fighters will further enhance the US military’s capabilities, which already include a US Navy carrier strike group (CSG) led by the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72).

The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (CSG-3) remains deployed in the US 5th Fleet area of operations and continues to operate in the Arabian Sea, south of Iran. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump suggested he could order a second carrier to the region, although it remains unclear which could be deployed. Trump has pressured Iran to negotiate on several issues as the regime has cracked down on protesters, killing thousands.

“Either we will make a deal, or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” Trump said in an interview with Axios on Tuesday, adding, “We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going.”

Could the F-35 Bomb Iran?

The arrival of the F-35s was delayed due to a mishap with one of the Air Force’s KC-46A Pegasus aerial refuelers that escorted the Lightning IIs to Rota Air Base, Spain. The six stealth fighters have since flown on to Morón Air Base, and are expected to arrive in Jordan later this week.

It is unclear when the full dozen F-35As will arrive in the region, but the aircraft would likely need to be in place before Trump were to order a strike on Iran, if a deal can’t be reached.

Tehran has indicated it is only willing to negotiate on the state of its nuclear program, and according to reports, it likely won’t give up its “right to enrich uranium.”

F-35s were employed in last June’s Operation Midnight Hammer, where they flew hundreds of miles into Iranian airspace to perform Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD), utilizing stealth and advanced sensors in attacks to neutralize the Islamic Republic’s surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites, and then escorted the Air Force’s North B-2 Spirit bombers to targets.

As the “First In, Last Out” aircraft, F-35s remain in Iranian airspace after the bombers completed their mission.

The F-35s from the Vermont ANG’s 134th Fighter Squadron are a specialist SEAD unit.

“SEAD-focused F-35A pilots in tandem with the EA-18Gs in theatre form a potent capability against even the most sophisticated forms of air defence systems, and this would be vital during any move against Iran,” The Aviationist explained.

The F-35As would complement the F-35Cs embarked on the USS Abraham Lincoln with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314. The unit also operates the /A-18 Super Hornet fighters and EA-18 electronic attack aircraft.

However, as Air & Space Forces magazine also reported, there are complications, with both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates indicating they would not support a strike on Iran from their territory.

“The UAE and Saudi Arabia have concerns about Iranian counterstrikes, as does Israel, which has long been the focus of Iran’s ire,” Air & Space Forces explained. “The US recently deployed additional Patriot and THAAD missile defense systems to the region.”

CENTCOM could base the F-35As in Qatar or Jordan, and the imminent threat of their use alone might be enough to bring Tehran to the negotiating table.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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