US Air Forces Central (AFCENT) announced on 26 July that a squadron of F-35A Lightning II multirole fighters had been deployed to US Central Command area of responsibility.
“The 421st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, will help defend interests, promote regional security, and safeguard freedom of navigation in the region,” AFCENT said. “The F-35s will partner with A-10 and F-16s already in theatre, helping monitor the Strait of Hormuz.”
AFCENT said the deployment had already been announced, an apparent reference to a 17 July US Department of Defense statement saying F-35 and F-16 fighters, as well as a US Navy destroyer, were being deployed “in response to a number of recent, alarming events in the Strait of Hormuz” that included Iranian seizures of oil tankers.
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