Airmen from the active duty 388th Fighter Wing and Reserve 419th FW at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, recently deployed the F-35A Lightning II to Los Llanos Air Base at Albacete, Spain, to participate in Tactical Leadership Programme flying course 19-2.
This, after finishing the multi-national Astral Knight 2019 air-and-missile defense exercise, at Aviano Air Base, Italy, and also preparing to bed-down operations at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany for several weeks.
The aircraft, pilots and maintainers are in Europe as part of a Theater Security Package, which is a rotational force that demonstrates U.S. commitment to our partners and allies and to enhancing regional security.
At the TLP course, the F-35s will conduct training with aircraft from other NATO countries, including Spain, Poland and Greece. This multilateral training course will focus on developing tactical air expertise, including integration of fourth and fifth-generation fighter aircraft. Training events like this are essential to building cohesiveness and improving interoperability and tactical understanding among allied air forces.