The U.S. Marine Corps will transfer the homeport of an F-35B squadron from the military service’s air station in Yuma, Arizona to the branch’s station in Iwakuni, Japan.
MCAS Iwakuni will become the first location to accommodate the Lockheed Martin-built F-35B aircraft of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 as part of the service branch’s worldwide deployment effort, the Marine Corps said Tuesday.
Defense News reported Tuesday Capt. Kurt Stahl, a Marine Corps spokesman, said 10 F35Bs are scheduled to arrive at MCAS Iwakuni by Thursday and an additional six jets will eventually relocate to Japan to join VMFA-121.
The U.S. Air Force also looks to permanently station its first F-35A squadron at Royal Air Force Base Lakenheath in England in 2020, according to the report by Valerie Insinna.
