Wild Weasels deploy F-35A to Red Flag-Alaska 26-3

MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan — The 35th Fighter Wing is preparing to send its F-35A Lightning II aircraft to Red Flag–Alaska 26-3, a deployment that will mark the 13th Fighter Squadron’s first use of the fifth-generation jet in a large-force training environment. The Wild Weasels will lead the suppression of enemy air defenses mission alongside joint and allied partners.

Billed as Pacific Air Forces’ premier air combat training event, RF-A 26-3 gathers U.S. and allied forces for high-end, integrated missions across the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, which spans thousands of square miles and is among the world’s largest military training areas. The exercise is designed to challenge participants to integrate, adapt and execute in a realistic, contested environment.

“This will be the 13th FS’s first test of sustained combat replicant operations with the F-35A,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Mark Onorato, 13th FS director of operations and 35th FW project officer for RF-A 26-3. “We have been flying this aircraft at home station for a few months now, but not to the level and tempo we will see in Alaska.”

Crews from the 13th FS are slated to train with other fifth-generation aircraft, with participants split into opposing and supporting teams to replicate large-scale air combat.

“I am most excited for the realism that RF-A 26-3 brings,” said Staff Sgt. Daniel Andersen, 13th FS noncommissioned officer in charge of intelligence. “This is an opportunity for our team to show how well we can work together in a simulated high-stress environment while receiving direct feedback on how the 13th FS is executing. That feedback will help us continue to grow and learn.”

Unlike the airspace around Misawa, the Alaska range can accommodate dozens of aircraft operating at once, giving pilots room to employ tactics and solve problems that are difficult to replicate during routine flying at home station. “For a fifth-generation platform like the F-35A, it makes a world of difference,” Onorato said. “The JPARC is hands down one of the best ranges in the world to utilize fifth-generation tactics within. It allows maximum space to operate our full tactics while giving the adversary multiple avenues to focus the bulk of their forces. That tests our situational awareness and ability to adapt to the adversary’s game plan.”

As the Wild Weasels, the 13th FS specializes in suppression of enemy air defenses, using specialized tactics to detect, target and defeat air defense systems so other aircraft can complete their missions. “This exercise will be a new chapter for our Wild Weasel SEAD mission,” Onorato said. “While the mission is the same, the way we execute and the capabilities we bring are different from the F-16 Fighting Falcons.”

For many Airmen, RF-A 26-3 represents a milestone in the 35th Fighter Wing’s transition to the F-35A and a chance to take part in a historic moment for the unit. “My whole experience with the Panthers has been many firsts,” Andersen said. “It’s been a humbling experience, and I’m grateful to be here as we actively write history. I’m thankful to be part of a solid team that supports me just as much as I support them.”

As the wing readies for its first Red Flag–Alaska with the F-35A, personnel across the 35th FW are building the skills, teamwork and experience needed for future operations throughout the Pacific. “There is no better way for our forces to replicate the high-end fight we are constantly preparing to fight should our nation ask,” Onorato said. “We cannot achieve the level of training back home, and the sacrifices the team makes to get us out the door and ready to execute at this event are just another example of our Wild Weasel culture in action.”