DEPLOYMENT: The Marines’ Version of the F-35 Flew More Than 100 Combat Sorties.

F-35Bs flew more than 100 combat sorties against the Taliban and ISIS while deployed aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex, said Lt. Col. Kyle Shoop, commander of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211.

“We overall supported more than 50 days of combat flying for over 1,200 flight hours,” Shoop told Task & Purpose. “We supported both Operation Freedom’s Sentinel up in the Afghanistan region as well as Operation Inherent Resolve over Syria/Iraq. We employed ordnance in both theaters on numerous days,” Shoop said. “Every single one of the pilots employed ordnance in theater. So, we were very busy.”

Good to know.