11월 9일 ~ 10일 후티 반군 공습에서 실전에 데뷔한 F-35C

[위종민]

미해군이 11월 9일 ~ 10일 후티 반군의 무기 저장고를 공습했는데, 이 공습에서 링컨 항모전단의 CVW-9에 배치된 미해병대의 VMFA-314 소속 F-35C가 공습에 투입돼 F-35C의 첫 전투비행을 기록했다고 합니다. 미 국방부의 확인은 아직이네요. 

US strikes Houthi weapon depots in Yemen

US strikes Houthi weapon depots in Yemen

NewsMaritime SecurityVideo

ByDylan Malyasov

Nov 14, 2024

Modified date: Nov 14, 2024

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has carried out a series of airstrikes targeting Houthi weapons depots in Yemen, following repeated attacks by the group on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The operation is seen as a direct response to the escalating maritime threats posed by the Houthis and aimed at safeguarding regional security.

“This targeted operation was conducted in response to repeated unlawful attacks by the Houthis on international commercial shipping, as well as on U.S., coalition, and commercial vessels in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden. It also aims to weaken the Houthis’ ability to threaten our regional partners,” said a CENTCOM spokesperson.

The airstrikes were aimed at several Houthi arms storage facilities containing advanced weaponry, including anti-ship missiles and unmanned aerial systems. The strikes aimed to disrupt the Houthis’ capacity to carry out future attacks and to diminish their ability to threaten vital international waterways.

In addition to the airstrikes, U.S. Navy destroyers USS Stockdale and USS Spruance, along with aircraft from both the U.S. Navy and Air Force, successfully neutralized a number of Houthi missile launch systems as they traversed the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The operation ensured the safety of maritime routes that are crucial for international commerce.

“Specifically, eight unmanned aerial systems, five anti-ship ballistic missiles, and four anti-ship cruise missiles were successfully detected and destroyed, ensuring the safety of vessels and their crews,” the spokesperson added.

The targeted strikes are part of an ongoing U.S. strategy to secure the region’s major shipping lanes from instability and attacks. The Bab al-Mandab Strait, a critical chokepoint for global trade, has been a focal point for tensions, with the Houthis attempting to disrupt the movement of vessels.

U.S. Central Command Strikes Houthi Facilities and Weapons Systems

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces executed a series of precise airstrikes on multiple Houthi weapons storage facilities situated within Houthi-controlled territories in Yemen, Nov. 9-10. These facilities… pic.twitter.com/nMkWTvegIr

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) November 13, 2024

US F-35Cs complete first known combat mission | News | Flight Global

US F-35Cs complete first known combat mission

By 

Ryan Finnerty15 November 2024

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Lockheed Martin F-35C fighters from the US Marine Corps took part in recent US air strikes against targets in Yemen, marking the first known combat flight for the carrier-based variant of the prolific multi-role stealth fighter.

The strikes, which took place on 9 and 10 November, involved a number of platforms, including F-35Cs and unspecified US Air Force (USAF) assets, according to the Pentagon.

Washington deployed six Boeing B-52 heavy bombers and squadron of Boeing F-15E strike fighters to the Middle East at the start of November.

Those combat aircraft are meant to offset the looming departure of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier from the region. The Pentagon ordered the Lincoln to the Middle East in August to replace another, the carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, whose air wing does not include the stealthy F-35.

The US Naval Institute’s fleet tracker still showed the Lincoln’s carrier strike group as being in the Gulf of Aden as of 12 November.

Source: US Navy

Lockheed Martin F-35C stealth fighters preparing for a catapult-assisted launch from the deck of the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier

Before it departs the Middle East, the Lincoln’s Carrier Air Wing 9 appears to have made history. Until now, there have been no officially confirmed combat actions involving the carrier-based C variant of the F-35.

Carrier Air Wing 9 includes three navy squadrons of Boeing F/A-18E/F strike fighters, one squadron of Boeing EA-18G electronic attack fighters and a single US Marine Corps squadron of F-35Cs.

Assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314, those aircraft are the only F-35Cs known to be currently operating in the Middle East and likely the ones that participated in the recent strikes on Yemen.

Photos released by the USMC on 7 November show F-35Cs launching from the Lincoln, conducting what the service calls “routine operations”.

Source: BillyPix

The other two F-35 variants, including the short take-off and landing F-35B, are known to have previously flown combat missions

The Pentagon did not immediately confirm‎ to FlightGlobal that the action represents the first combat flight for the F-35C.

Conventional take-off and landing F-35As from the USAF and Israel are known to have completed combat sorties, as have short take-off and landing F-35Bs with the USMC and UK Royal Navy.

Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh on 14 November seemed to imply there was no special reason the carrier-launched F-35s were used for the recent operations over Yemen.

”It really depends on the mission, the operation, what’s available and what we need to accomplish,” Singh says. “Different aircraft are used at different times.”

The USA is the only global operator of the F-35C, including squadrons belonging to both the US Navy and Marine Corps. The F-35B is able to operate from smaller light aircraft carriers present in the fleets of Japan, Italy, the UK and the USA.

The air strikes in question targeted facilities belonging to the same Iranian-affiliated Houthi groups in Yemen that have been engaged in an all-out air war against commercial and military shipping traffic in and around the Red Sea for most of the past year, a retaliation for Israel’s protracted military campaign in Gaza and now Lebanon.

“These facilities housed a variety of advanced conventional weapons used by the Iran-backed Houthis to target US and international military and civilian vessels navigating international waters in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden,” says Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder.

The Yemen strikes were overseen by US Central Command, which at the same time ordered lethal action against other targets in Syria connected with the Islamic State terrorist organisation.

The actions followed two attacks against US troops stationed in Syria on 10 November, which involved rockets and one-way uncrewed aerial vehicles.

“Attacks against US and coalition partners in the region will not be tolerated,” says General Michael Kurilla, the Pentagon’s commander for Middle East operations. “We will continue to take every step necessary to protect our personnel and coalition partners and respond to reckless attacks.”

On 11 November, two US Navy guided missile destroyers were attacked by at least eight on-way UAVs, five anti-ship ballistic missiles and three anti-ship cruise missiles during their transit of the Bab el Mandeb strait, according to the Pentagon.

The naval vessels were able to defeat the incoming threats with unspecified protective measures.

US F-35Cs complete first known combat mission

[백선호]

앞서 있던 아이젠하워에는 F/A-18E/F만 있고 F-35C가 없었네요.

[위종민]

네 찾아보니 아이크에 배치된 항모비행단은 CVW-3인데 E, F만 있네요. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrier_Air_Wing_Three )