F-35s from Utah wake Vermonters as they depart for Europe
Feb. 18, 2022 | By Lisa Scagliotti 
F-35A Lightning II aircraft from the 34th Fighter Squadron, 388th Fighter Wing, Hill Air Force Base, Utah depart Vermont Air National Guard Base in South Burlington, Vermont, on Feb. 16, 2022. U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Michael Davis, 158th Fighter Wing
Nighttime quiet was disturbed this week when the telltale rumbling of F-35 aircraft filled the air over Vermont in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.
No, it wasn’t night training by the Vermont National Guard.
After receiving numerous complaints and inquiries, the guard released information including several photos to explain the nocturnal activity, particularly in Chittenden County near Burlington International Airport.
“In the early morning of Feb. 16, F-35A Lightning II aircraft from the 34th Fighter Squadron, 388th Fighter Wing, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, departed the Vermont Air National Guard Base in transit to Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany,” wrote Maj. J. Scott Detweiler in a statement from Joint Force Headquarters.
The public affairs response addressed concerns from the public, Detweiler explained: “While the Vermont National Guard will not respond to individual comments related to this mission, the Public Affairs Office has logged all concerns and leadership takes each comment seriously.”
The visiting fighter jets from Utah were on their way to Europe as part of the U.S. readiness effort underway given the tenuous circumstances of the standoff along the international border between Russia and Ukraine.
The deployment was in support of NATO military preparations “to increase readiness and enhance NATOs collective defense during this period of uncertainty,” according to a statement from the U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa Public Affairs. The fighter jets “are equipped for a variety of missions to deter aggression and defend Allies should deterrence fail.”
Another U.S. deployment involved eight F-15Es from the 336th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Wing from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina to Lask, Poland, according to Air Force public affairs in Europe. The Royal Air Force also deployed six KC-135 Stratotankers from the 100th Aerial Refueling Wing at Mildenhall, U.K., to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, the press release noted.
Detweiler said the squadron touched down in Vermont earlier on Tuesday, Feb. 15, at a time when the noise and activity didn’t attract much attention from the public. The departure around 3 a.m. was different. He said he could not comment on the number of aircraft involved or other details about the squadron’s brief visit in Vermont.
“As an operational F-35 Fighter Wing, the Vermont Air National Guard does everything in its control to balance F-35 mission requirements with the impact on the local community,” Detweiler said. “There are times when operational security and real-world missions prevent the sharing of information on specific aircraft movements.”