An Air Force base in Utah staged a massive “elephant walk” that featured 52 of one of the country’s most advanced fighter jets launching in a row.
The F-35A II Lightning fighters were part of the Active Duty 388th and Reserve 419th fighter wings at the Hill Air Force Base in the northern part of the state, according to AirForceMag.com. The base is home to 78 of the Fifth Generation fighters.
Practice makes perfect ⚡⚡.
What an awesome first day of practice over Utah @HAFB.
We’ll be practicing all week so stay tuned for more imagery!@thef35 #AimHigh #airforce #fighterjet #military #f35demoteam #F35 #lightningii #airshow #aviationphotography #aviation pic.twitter.com/yOAZLait3g
— F-35A Demonstration Team (@F35demoteam) January 7, 2020
Today we launched about 50 F-35s in rapid succession. Part of a long-planned combat power exercise with @388fw, we pushed the boundaries and tested our Airmen’s ability to deploy @thef35 en masse. We’re ready to fly, fight, and win. @usairforce @USAFReserve @USAF_ACC pic.twitter.com/QskjR6lsch
— 419th Fighter Wing (@419fw) January 6, 2020
“Today’s exercise marks the accomplishment of over four years of work — a little over four years ago, we received our first F-35,” Col. Michael Ebner, 388th Wing vice commander, told the Deseret News. “We now have our full complement of aircraft and locally, we turn this into a goal of full war-fighting capability.”
An “elephant walk” refers to the close formation of military aircraft before takeoff. – READ MORE