In a brazen demonstration of air power and operational readiness, Hill Air Force Base in Utah executed an unprecedented “elephant walk” of 52 F-35A Lightning II fighter jets. The exercise, involving the Active Duty 388th and Reserve 419th Fighter Wings, was designed to exercise the ability of the base to generate a large force of F-35As and to test several facets of wing readiness, including personnel accountability, aircraft generation, ground operations, flight operations, and combat capability.
The term “elephant walk” has been in use since World War II for the mass taxiing of aircraft in close formation before takeoff. This exercise not only showcases force readiness but is also an equally strong display of air power. Brigadier General Lyle K. Drew said, “The key to air power is exceptional airmen, and the key to exceptional airmen is exceptional training.”
The January 2020 exercise was a significant demonstration of the program’s enhanced readiness and operational ability for the F-35. During the exercise, participating jets included those belonging to the 388th Fighter Wing and the 419th Reserve unit as they launched 52 aircraft off the ground in quick succession. The successful elephant walk adds to another exercise done in November 2018, which had between 30 and 60 F-35s.
Hill Air Force Base, home to the first fully operational F-16 Fighting Falcon more than three decades ago, now serves as the home of the only four combat-capable squadrons in the U.S. Air Force. Namely, Active Duty fighter squadrons comprise the 4th, 34th, and 421st Fighter Squadrons, while that of the Reserve is the 466th Fighter Squadron. The base received its 78th and final F-35A in December 2019, which closed out a big chapter in its operational history.
The exercise also underlines the growing maintainability of the F-35 fleet. The mission-capable rate for the F-35A rose to 75 percent in late 2019, up from 66 percent in the previous year. This is an indication that things are headed in a positive way for a program hit by many development challenges, delays, and cost overruns.
Although operating an F-35A costs $44,000 per hour to fly, the exercise provided invaluable training for pilots, maintainers, and command and control teams. During the event, the whole base worked hard to launch and recover the 52 fighter jets as rapidly as possible. Through this strenuous training scenario, wings were able to tune up their skills and measure how ready they were to respond to a possible adversary.
The timing of the exercise came at a time when relations with Iran were at an all-time high in terms of tension, but this was purely coincidental because the event had been planned months in advance. However, the fact that the elephant walk was so seamlessly carried out does spell a very distinct message to the U.S. Air Force about keeping a force on high-readiness alert and operational capability.
As Hill Air Force Base takes the lead in the F-35 program, exercises like these will still be indispensable in ensuring the U.S. and its international partners are ready to deliver paramount air power at any time and place.