A senior Air Force official said June 30 that he was “very positive” the F-35A Lightning II will be declared deployable by Dec. 1.The Air Force has said the F-35A will reach initial operating capability sometime between Aug. 1 and Dec. 1. Maj. Gen. Jeff Harrigian, director of the Air Force F-35A integration office, said, “It’s going to be in the window” at a Mitchell Institute talk in Arlington, Virginia.IOC is defined as when a capability reaches its minimum deployable form.Seven F-35As recently flew from their home base at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, to Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho — along with their maintenance and support crews — for a series of operational tests.
