USAF and the Navy conducted a joint air defense exercise last week to improve integration while defending the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group against simulated threats in the Persian Gulf. Two Air Force tankers and two F-22 Raptors from the 525th Expeditionary Squadron joined 13 Navy aircraft in the Oct. 25 exercise, according to a Navy release. The forces were divided between “red air” and “blue air” groups. The cruisers USS San Jacinto and USS Monterey, the destroyer USS Hopper, and the Eisenhower itself also took part in the training. The Strike Group, which deployed in June to support Operation Inherent Resolve, continued its real-world mission during the joint exercise, according to the release.
The 301st Fighter Wing in Fort Worth, Texas, became the first standalone Reserve unit in the Air Force to get its own F-35s, welcoming the first fighter Nov. 5.