F-35A Lightning IIs, assigned to the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron, fly in formation above Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, June 3, 2024. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. John Linzmeier)
Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org
A combination of fourth- and fifth-generation fighters will wrap up a large-scale simulated combat exercise around Hawaii in the coming days.
Sentry Aloha, which first began more than 20 years ago, is a fighter-focused exercise hosted by the Hawaii Air National Guard. The latest edition began May 29 and will last through June 12. F-22s from the 199th and 19th Fighter Squadrons at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam are flying alongside F-16 Fighting Falcons, F-35 Lightning IIs and A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, as well as KC-135 and KC-46 tankers and some C-130s.
The biannual fifth and fourth-gen combat training returned in January this year after a two-year break. Hawaii’s strategic Pacific location makes it an ideal military training ground as Sentry Aloha keeps growing and evolving with each iteration.
This iteration had a total of 42 aircraft from nine states, with 1,060 personnel participating. A spokesperson for the Hawaii Air National Guard’d 154th Wing confirmed the participating aircraft with Air & Space Forces Magazine:
F-22 and KC-135 from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
F-16 from the 177th Fighter Wing, Atlantic City Air National Guard Base, N.J.
F-35 from the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
F-16 from the 162nd Wing, Tucson Air National Guard Base, Ariz.
F-16, A-10, KC-135, and HC-130J from the Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Test Center, Ariz.
KC-46 from the 157th Air Refueling Wing, Pease Air National Guard Base, N.H.
HC-130 from the 129th Rescue Wing, Moffett Air National Guard Base, Calif.
MQ-9 from Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 3, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Hawaii.
C-130H aircraft from the Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Test Center and the 189th Airlift Wing, Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark.
KC-135 from the 186th Air Refueling Wing, Key Field Air National Guard Base, Miss.
The spokesperson declined to say the number of each aircraft type, citing operational security.
The fighters and other aircraft are manuevering through Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, with additional operations occurring around Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay and Kona International Airport in Kalaoa, where the aircraft are staged for the training.
“The state offers great airspace and weather to maximize training such as Agile Combat Employment and distributed operations,” Maj. Michael Oliver, the exercise director and a pilot of the 154th Wing, said in a release.
The 154th Wing is the largest wing in the Air National Guard, hosting Raptors, Stratotankers, and C-17 Globemasters, backed by some 2,500 personnel. In April, the 199th and 19th Fighter Squadrons of the Wing deployed their F-22s to Kadena Air Base in Japan as part of the rotation to maintain a constant fighter presence at the key location.
Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org
The Air Force has finished resurrecting a B-1B Lancer, completing a yearslong process to transform a bomber that had been stored for parts in the Arizona desert into the new flagship of the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.
Lockheed Martin’s aeronautics division is getting new leadership, with president Greg Ulmer retiring and Skunk Works general manager O.J. Sanchez tapped to succeed him.
F-22 Raptors from two squadrons have arrived at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, the latest rotation of fighters at the key Japanese base as its awaits its delayed F-15EX Eagle IIs.
Fresh off the first combat deployment of its new EA-37B, the Air Force is nearly doubling the planned number of new electronic attack jets and projecting more than $3 billion in spending on the program in the next five years.
Air Force fighters, tankers, and intelligence aircraft contributed “defensive overwatch” for the U.S. military effort to guide commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, senior officials said.
The Air Force said May 4 it has approved the T-7A Red Hawk trainer aircraft to move into low-rate production and awarded Boeing a $219 million contract to start building the first 14 production jets.
The Air Force is planning to spend $2.19 billion over the next five years to acquire new C-37 jets for transporting military and civilian leaders. That’s on top of another $1.17 billion in projected funding for the VC-25B “Air Force One” replacement.
The Air Force expects to start modifying its first B-52H Stratofortress bomber with new engines and other upgrades later this year, following the successful review of the Commercial Engine Replacement Program’s design.
The Air Force wants to spend more than a half billion dollars through 2031 on a new protection system designed for cargo and refueling aircraft that features onboard sensors and weapons to track and take down enemy missiles and drones.
✓
Thank You!
Check your inbox to verify your email address and finish setting up your AFA account.
★
Welcome Back!
An account with this email already exists. Please log in to continue.
Subscribe to the Air & Space Forces Daily Report
The latest news from Air & Space Forces Magazine, as well as news from other leading publications, delivered right to your inbox every morning!
We’re sorry, there has been an error. Please review your input or try again later.
