The U.S. Air Force has demonstrated the F-35A fighter jet during this year’s edition of the Northern Lightning joint training exercise.
Lt. Col. Brad Bashore, the 58th Fighter Squadron commander, and his wingmen at the 58th FS within the 33rd Fighter Wing, delivered fire from the sky and scored as many as 37 kill points during the exercise, the Air Force said Tuesday.
The Northern Lightning exercise functions as an avenue for the fifth and fourth-generation aircraft to exhibit their functions in a contested and degraded environment, according to the Air Force.
F-35A jets contain sensors designed to process and share data with other participants in a battlespace.
“The significant increase in situational awareness that it gives us on the battlefield, the information sharing between jets, radar capability and of course the capability that we will have with our opponents not being able to see us will be a game changer,†said Lt. Col. Bart Van Roo, commander of the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 176th FS.
