The 356th Fighter Squadron is the first United States Air Force F-35A squadron stationed in the Indo-Pacific theater of operations. Assigned to the Pacific Air Forces, it is a combat-coded fighter squadron capable of world-wide deployment in support of combatant commander objectives. The squadron is tasked primarily in Offensive Counter-Air missions, utilizing its 5th generation advanced sensor suite and weapons to help build a more lethal force around the Pacific. The squadron integrates with Australia, Japan, Republic of Korea and US Navy’s F-35s to provide well-trained and ready forces to strengthen our nation’s alliances and build new partnerships.
Desert Storm
The “Green Demons” of the 356th Fighter Squadron were re-activated in October of 2019, having flown A-10A Warthogs at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina after their last combat deployment to Desert Storm. They were the first to fly the P-51 in combat and the first operational A-10A squadron in 1977. Other aircraft they flew include the P-47, F-100, F-4 and A-7. They were previously deployed to the Pacific for both the Vietnam and Korean War.
Reactivation as an F-35A Lightning II squadron
The squadron will be the first of two F-35 squadrons stationed at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. Located directly adjacent to the Joint Pacific-Alaska Range Complex (JPARC) air combat range, the squadron trains the world’s newest fighter pilots in the world’s most advanced fighter aircraft against modern threat assets in airspace unmatched anywhere in the world. Pilots will team with F-22s and AWACS from Joint-Base Elmendorf Richardson in Anchorage on multiple missions, developing the first USAF 5th Generation Center of Excellence for fighter aircraft.”