The Green Mountain Boys, the F-35A, and the Long Way Home from CENTCOM

Eight F-35A Lightning IIs from the Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing have landed at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, the first leg of their journey home from a combat deployment in the U.S. Central Command area of operations. The remaining four jets are still working through the pipeline from the Middle East. All twelve are expected to return to Burlington International Airport in Vermont.

Who Are the Green Mountain Boys?

The 158th Fighter Wing, 134th Fighter Squadron - the Green Mountain Boys - carries a name older than the United States itself. Ethan Allen’s militia claimed it in 1775. The Vermont Air National Guard has carried it ever since, and the unit’s combat record extends well beyond the current deployment. The 158th flew missions in Operation Allied Force over the Balkans in 1999, and has been part of the operational Air Force in a meaningful sense for decades.

Vermont was among the first Guard units in the country to transition to the F-35A, moving from the F-16 Fighting Falcon. That transition is not routine - the F-35A demands a fundamentally different approach to tactics, systems, and situational awareness than any previous fighter.

What the F-35A Actually Does

The F-35A is the conventional takeoff and landing variant of the Lightning II family. It is powered by a Pratt & Whitney F135 turbofan producing over 40,000 pounds of thrust with the afterburner engaged. The aircraft is supersonic, carries weapons internally to preserve its radar cross-section, and uses sensor fusion to combine data from its radar, electro-optical targeting system, infrared sensors, and formation datalinks into a single coherent picture presented through the pilot’s helmet-mounted display.

The F-35A was designed from the outset as a multirole aircraft capable of penetrating defended airspace, delivering precision weapons, gathering and sharing intelligence, and defending itself in close combat. The F-16 started life as a dogfighter and evolved into a strike platform; the F-35A was conceived for all of those missions simultaneously.

Why CENTCOM Matters

The Central Command area of operations covers roughly 20 countries across the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of East Africa. American combat air operations have continued there without interruption since 2001. The airspace is active, the threats are real, and the coordination demands are substantial. When the Green Mountain Boys deployed into that environment, they were not flying training profiles.

The specific missions flown by the 158th have not been publicly disclosed, which is standard for combat deployments. The public record is this: the unit deployed F-35As into an active combat theater and flew operational missions in support of Central Command objectives.

The National Guard Is Not a Reserve Force

A persistent civilian misconception is that National Guard units are part-time. When a Guard unit deploys into a combat theater, those personnel are full-time warfighters operating under the same conditions as active duty forces. The tempo of Guard deployments has remained high since September 11, 2001, and the deliberate investment in front-line aircraft like the F-35A for Guard units reflects a policy decision to treat the Guard as an operational force - not a strategic backup.

The Route Home: Why Lakenheath?

Getting twelve F-35As from the Middle East to Vermont involves more than pointing west. The F-35A has an unrefueled combat radius of roughly 600 nautical miles in a clean configuration - the transatlantic leg requires tanker support. The aircraft receives fuel via boom, meaning KC-46 Pegasus or KC-135 Stratotanker support is part of the package.

RAF Lakenheath is the logical waypoint for two reasons. Geographically, it bridges the Middle East transit and the transatlantic crossing. Operationally, Lakenheath is home to the USAF 48th Fighter Wing, which itself operates F-35A and F-35B aircraft - the maintenance infrastructure, tooling, and personnel are already there. The Green Mountain Boys landed at a base that understands the jet.

The transatlantic crossing will involve pre-planned refueling orbits, weather contingencies, and coordination across American and allied air traffic control. Military formation transits through the North Atlantic Track System follow procedures distinct from standard oceanic clearances.

What This Means for Pilots Flying in Northern Vermont

Burlington International Airport sits at approximately 334 feet MSL at the edge of Lake Champlain and shares its field with the Vermont Guard’s flight line. As the remaining aircraft make their return - including the four jets still in the pipeline from the Middle East - the military airspace in that region will see increased activity.

If you are operating in northern Vermont airspace in the near term, monitor appropriate frequencies and account for the possibility that a returning fighter squadron is not a routine traffic day. Military returns of this scale involve coordinated approaches and can affect pattern activity at shared-use fields.

Why This Story Matters Beyond Military Aviation

The F-35A’s procurement history was long, expensive, and well-documented in defense circles. Whatever that debate produced, the 158th Fighter Wing has now taken that aircraft into an operational theater and done real work with it. That distinction - program versus airplane - matters. The Green Mountain Boys are not a test unit validating a platform. They are a combat-seasoned Guard unit coming home from a deployment.

The source for this story is The Aviationist, which remains one of the most detailed sources for military aviation coverage available to the public.

Key Takeaways

Eight of twelve Vermont Air National Guard F-35As have landed at RAF Lakenheath; four remain in the pipeline from the CENTCOM theater
The 158th Fighter Wing (Green Mountain Boys) was among the first Guard units to field the F-35A, transitioning from the F-16
The transatlantic return requires boom-refueling tanker support - the F-35A cannot self-ferry across the Atlantic on internal fuel
RAF Lakenheath was chosen as a waypoint because the 48th Fighter Wing there operates compatible F-35 variants with matching maintenance infrastructure
Pilots operating near Burlington International Airport should expect increased military activity as the full squadron returns; BTV shares its field with the 158th’s flight line