US deploys F-35A fighter jets to air base in Puerto Rico

A squadron of fifth-generation F-35A Joint Strike Fighters of the U.S. Air Force has arrived at Roosevelt Roads Air Base in Puerto Rico, strengthening the American forces in the region, reports The War Zone.

Previously, ten F-35B fighters of the U.S. Marine Corps aviation had already been stationed there.

According to the publication, the deployment of the F-35A is part of a mission to exert political and military pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro with the aim of forcing his resignation.

The exact number of aircraft transferred from the 158th Wing of the Vermont Air National Guard has not been disclosed. Observers note that at least ten planes have arrived in the region.

The deployment of the F-35A—the first U.S. Air Force tactical fighters in the Caribbean—expands the capability to employ guided bombs weighing up to 900 kg against targets deep within Venezuelan airspace.

Earlier this week, an E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft was tracked on the FlightRadar24 open source flight-tracking site flying close to the Venezuelan coast. 

FlightRadar24 also showed a U.S. Navy F/A18E Super Hornet making repeated loops reportedly right on the outer edge of Venezuela’s northern airspace. In addition, two U.S. Navy E/A-18G Growler electronic warfare jets, two more Super Hornets, and an E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning plane were tracked on FlightRadar24 flying close to the Venezuelan coast. There has been a notable uptick in such trackable flights recently.

By Khagan Isayev