Since May 19 and through tomorrow, U.S. Navy F-35C stealth fighters have been operating from Iwo Jima Island (currently known as Iwo To), marking the first time such operations have taken place there. Specifically, American pilots and their stealth fighters participated in training and evaluations focused on carrier landing maneuvers—an essential requirement for these personnel to be deployed as part of the carrier air wings operating under the U.S. Navy’s Strike Groups.
As stated by Captain William Fallon, Deputy Chief of Staff of U.S. Naval Forces Japan: “This is the training that is required for Air Wing 5 air crews to get ready to go to sea. There is a great amount of effort in the practice and the professionalism that goes into learning how to do this. Carrier environment is very challenging to work in—whether it’s daytime or nighttime. A large carrier suddenly feels very small when you do it, so it’s incumbent on us to practice realistically as we found right here, which is the benefit of Iwo To. It’s very dark at night, so it feels similar to our carrier environment.”
It’s worth noting that Carrier Air Wing 5 operates alongside the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), which not only deploys F-35 Lightning II fighters but also F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, and E-2D Hawkeyes. Specifically, this includes Strike Fighter Squadrons (VFA) 147 and 102, Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 141, and Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 125; along with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 12 and their MH-60S Sea Hawk platforms.
The training held in Japan also served to qualify signal officers who operate on carrier decks to guide both fixed-wing and rotary-wing pilots during flight operations. According to the Navy’s official statement, this involved landing practices using the manually operated visual landing aid system (MOVLAS), which presents a higher degree of difficulty for pilots compared to other procedures and requires well-trained signal officers.
However, officials noted that this type of training cannot be permanently based on the historic island of Iwo Jima, due to the lack of suitable “alternate airfields” needed to continue operations during adverse weather conditions, as well as the island’s remote location and related logistical challenges. This is a critical concern, as in the event of a technical issue with an aircraft or the runway, there are no nearby airfields available to recover the aircraft more safely.
Image credits: Petty Officer 2nd Class Dyxan Williams
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