F-35s head to Japan
Mrking a major milestone in its development, the long awaited operational deployment of the F-35 is underway. A group of Joint Strike Fighters from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, the “Green Knights,” left their home base at MCAS Yuma in Arizona on Monday, starting their hop across the Pacific to their new home at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan. Once bedded down there, a total of 10 F-35Bs will begin to participate in a number of exercises, many of them multinational, with major allies in the region.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense will be watching the deployment closely, as they’re a customer of the F-35, with 28 F-35As on order for JASDF the and another 24 as options. South Korea is also planning to buy 40 of the jets, and will very likely be one of the first places the Green Knights will show up after arriving in the region.
Photo of F-35B during its transit to Japan-USMC
Traditionally, Marine Hornet squadrons forward based at Iwakuni have also found themselves flying alongside their Australian counterparts (another F-35 customer) as well as other Southeast Asian allies. These training detachments paired with the slowly eroding security situation in the region, alongside the unprecedented public affairs push that has accompanied the F-35 program in recent years, will likely result in a well publicized and eventful maiden operational deployment for the type.
Towards the middle of 2017 VMFA-121 will get an extra six F-35Bs which are slated to go on a cruise aboard a Landing Helicopter Dock amphibious assault ship for the first time later in the year. Instead of using the USS Bonhomme Richard, which is already forward deployed to Japan, the ship will be swapped out for the USS Wasp. The Bonhomme Richard will be relocated to San Diego and the Wasp will have to make the long voyage from Norfolk, Virginia to its new home in Japan.
