An official website of the United States government         Here's how you know         
**Official websites use .mil**
A **.mil** website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
**Secure .mil websites use HTTPS**
 A **lock (lock )** or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Skip to main content (Press Enter).

Defense Logistics AgencyThe Nation's Combat Logistics Support Agency

Search
Search

Search

-  Home		 
-  What DLA Offers    -  Excess Property Disposal             
  -  Document Services             
  -  Products             
  -  Services             
  -  Programs 
-  Working With DLA    -  Applications             
  -  Small Business             
  -  Federal and International Cataloging             
  -  Defense Data Standards             
  -  Events             
  -  Procurement Policies             
  -  Government Programs             
  -  Forms 
-  Organizations    -  DLA Headquarters             
  -  DLA Aviation             
  -  DLA Disposition Services             
  -  DLA Distribution             
  -  DLA Energy             
  -  DLA Land and Maritime             
  -  DLA Troop Support             
  -  DLA CENTCOM & SOCOM             
  -  DLA Europe & Africa             
  -  DLA Indo-Pacific 
-  Customer Support    -  Self Help Tools             
  -  How to Order             
  -  Find Your Order             
  -  Customer Facing Offices             
  -  Training             
  -  Brochures             
  -  Warfighter Support             
  -  Customer Service Management 
-  Careers		 
-  About DLA    -  Contact Us             
  -  Locations             
  -  Leaders             
  -  News             
  -  History             
  -  Media Gallery             
  -  DLA Campaigns 

HomeAbout DLANewsNews Article View

PHOTO INFORMATION

** Download

** Details

** Share

PHOTO INFORMATION

** Download

** Details

** Share

PHOTO INFORMATION

** Download

** Details

** Share

PHOTO INFORMATION

** Download

** Details

** Share

# Astral Knight 2019: Maintainers sharpen F-35A

By Tech. Sgt. Jim AraosU.S. Air Forces in Europe Public Affairs

                AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy  –              
Deployed maintainers of the 421st Aircraft Maintenance Unit prepare F-35A Lightning II fighter jets to contribute to exercise Astral Knight 2019 on the flightline of Aviano Air Base, Italy.Astral Knight 2019, a joint-multinational exercise led by U.S. Air Forces in Europe, aims to demonstrate the defense capabilities of the U.S. integrated air and missile defense system.“This is the first overseas location that the 421st AMU’s F-35As has gone to,” said Master Sgt. John Ott, 421st AMU F-35A expediter. “Our duties include daily servicing and inspections, as well as logistics and coordination control to receive support on our aircraft and maintainers 24/7.”The exercise provides maintainers with a complex mission to practice and master their craft. Through teamwork, experiences are passed down from legacy maintainers to newer maintainers to fully visualize a robust program.“Our entire team is comprised of experts from F-16 Fighting Falcons, C-135 Stratolifters, C-130J Super Hercules, A-10 Thunderbolt IIs and all types of legacy aircraft,” said Ott. “We get to have all their inputs from their vast experiences and channel that into a focal point to sharpen our F-35A mission systems.”With a cohesive team, maintainers are able to forecast future maintenance issues that may arise and prepare a deployable spare package to prevent maintenance obstacles from halting the mission.“A lot of the aspects that we see in a maintenance perspective is making sure we have the right parts in our deployable spare package,” said Capt. Kimberly Jackson, 421st AMU officer in charge. “The deployable spare package is tailored to the type of aircraft that we bring. Maintainers use data on how many times certain items fail to predict what replacements will be needed to complete the mission.”The exercise has proven to the maintenance team how far they can stretch the constraints of their program and see how far they can take the F-35A aircraft.“My maintainers exceed my expectations every day,” said Jackson. “My team is capable of deploying to other countries and accomplishing the mission. We want to keep our momentum so we can maintain our performance for further exercises.”*Editor's note: The original story can be viewed on the U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa website.*

**                    SHARE                

**                    PRINT                

Astral Knight 2019Astral KnightHill Air Force Base388th Fighter Wing421st Aircraft Maintenance UnitAviano Air Basemaintenancepartsaircraft maintenanceaircraft partskitsdeployable spare package