HILL AIR FORCE BASE — For the third time in a little over a year, airmen from Hill Air Force Base’s two fighter wings have deployed to the Middle East.

Micah Garbarino, a spokesman with the base’s 388th Fighter Wing, said members of the 388th and its reserve counterpart 419th deployed earlier this month to Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates. The group will support the United States Air Force Central Command mission in the region. Current Air Force policy prohibits releasing information about exact deployment locations and time tables, so it’s not clear how long the group will be overseas.

Garbarino said the outfit is made up of pilots and maintainers from the active duty 421st and Reserve 466th fighter squadrons and aircraft maintenance units, as well as personnel in other support functions.

Three weeks ago, an initial wave of active and reserve airmen who were deployed with Hill’s 34th Fighter Squadron returned to Utah following a six-month deployment to the same region. A large contingent from the 34th remain in the area and will return home soon, Garbarino said.

During that deployment, the 34th FS performed close air support missions and supplied air and maritime escorts for other U.S. military groups. The squadron operated simultaneously from two different bases for more than three months and participated in multinational exercises. Garbarino said the 421st FS will likely take on a similar role during its time in the region.

Col. Steven Behmer, 388th Fighter Wing commander, said the 421st only filled out its full roster in December, “and now their the latest heading into the fight.”

In November 2019, a group returned to Hill after a six-month deployment in the Middle East. That mission, which was also headquartered at Al-Dhafra Air Base, marked the first time the Air Force’s F-35A Lightning II jets performed a real-world combat operation.

The group completed at least two combat strikes on enemy forces.

In September 2019, F-35s and pilots from Hill were part of a group that dropped about 80,000 pounds of bombs on Qanus Island in Iraq — a spot that has been used as a hideout by the Islamic State. In April 2019, Hill F-35 pilots conducted an air strike at Wadi Ashai, Iraq, hitting a long-established ISIS tunnel network and weapons cache in a remote area of the Hamrin Mountains.

At the time, Air Force officials said the strike marked the jet’s first real-world combat strike.

“I’m extremely proud of our personnel for answering their nation’s call once again,” Col. Brian Silkey, acting commander for the 419th Fighter Wing, said in a statement. “As always, we truly appreciate the sacrifices of their families and civilian employers as our citizen airmen step away to serve, especially now, during these challenging and uncertain times.”