USAF deploys 18 F-35A from Lakenheath to the Middle East

The US on Monday deployed 18 additional F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation stealth fighters to the Middle East to strengthen its air force in the region, Itamilradar reports.

These American fighters took off from Lakenheath air base in the UK. Their flight to the Middle East was carried out by KC-135 Stratotanker tankers.

This is the largest simultaneous deployment of American combat aircraft in the region, the aforesaid portal notes. Its scale demonstrates the sharp increase in US military capacity in the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran.

These aircraft complement the 12 F-35A fighters deployed by the US to the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan in early February.

With the arrival of the new aircraft, the US now has 30 F-35A fighters, two squadrons (24 aircraft) of F-15E Strike Eagles, and one squadron (12 aircraft) of A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft in the Middle East. The total number of American combat aircraft at bases in the region is about 66.

In addition, the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, stationed in the Arabian Sea near Iran, is home to one squadron of F-35C Lightning II fighters and three squadrons of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets. Each squadron consists of about 12 aircraft.