The F-35 with the tail number ‘WW’ will join the Misawa 35th Fighter Wing and perform SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defense) missions in Japan.
On June 16, 2026, F-35A Lightning II aircraft 24-5970 made its first flight from Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base. The jet departed around 2pm local time and returned about an hour later to approach a full stop with an ATAC F-1 in pursuit.
As seen in this photo taken by photographer Tim Wurth, this aircraft, bound for the 35th Fighter Wing at Misawa Air Base, Japan, is the first F-35 to carry the iconic “WW” tail codes.
This code, which stands for Wild Weasel, reflects the wing’s heritage and mission. This nickname has been associated with U.S. Air Force units and aircraft assigned to Suppress Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) missions since the Vietnam War. Misawa’s fighters adopted the “WW” tail code on June 18, 1996, when the 35th Fighter Wing changed its tail flash from “MJ” to “WW” to reflect its mission and its long association with Operation Wild Weasel, including its early role as the Wild Weasel training center at George AFB.
Interestingly, the letters “FILO” appear at the top of the tail. This stands for the 35th Fighter Wing’s motto, “First In, Last Out,” which emphasizes the unit’s willingness and confidence to risk its life and complete each mission while conducting attacks against integrated air defense systems.
Although this aircraft is believed to be destined for the 13th Fighter Wing, it is actually the Operations Group Commander’s aircraft and also wears the 14th Fighter Squadron badge on the right air intake. A similar arrangement was previously seen on F-16C 90-0805 at Misawa Air Base. Marked as a 35th Operations Group jet, the aircraft carries the 14th Fighter Squadron emblem on the right side of the tail and the 13th Fighter Squadron emblem on the left, effectively symbolizing two squadrons of Misawa’s Wild Weasel squadron rather than a single unit.
The 13th Fighter Wing traces its modern combat identity to the Vietnam War. Its predecessor, the 13th Tactical Fighter Wing, was established in 1966 and operated from Royal Thai Air Force Base Korat, conducting Wild Weasel missions against North Vietnamese surface-to-air missile bases. According to official Misawa sources, the squadron “pioneered wild weasel missions during the Vietnam War.”
The squadron later adopted the identity “Panther Pack”. According to Misawa’s fact sheet, in 1972 the 13th FS adopted an Asian black panther named Eldridge and became known as the Panther Pack.
F-35A 24-5970 will join the first four F-35A Lightning II fighter jets to arrive at Misawa on March 28, 2026, marking the arrival of Misawa’s first F-35 to be permanently based in Japan. As explained in the previous story, we posted it here. aeronautical scientist, The first four aircraft to arrive from the United States after stopping at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii were not new. Three F-35s were relocated from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, while the fourth aircraft was previously assigned to RAF Lakenheath, England. All of these retained their original tail codes of “HL” and “LN” respectively.
Along with the 13th Fighter Wing, the 14th Fighter Wing also plans to replace the F-16C/D with the F-35A. In total, the 35th Fighter Wing plans to replace 36 F-16s with 48 F-35As.
The transition from the F-16 to the F-35 marks a major evolution of Misawa’s Wild Weasel mission, and the Lightning II provides capabilities inherently suited to SEAD.
F-35 and Wild Weasel Mission
The F-35 is said to have the ability to find and track enemy forces, jam radio frequencies, and disrupt attacks from long distances. However, missile integration for SEAD missions is still lacking.
Block 3F already offers the ability to use the GBU-39 SDB (small diameter bomb), among other standoff weapons, but the AARGM-ER, a missile that will replace the current AGM-88 and allow the F-35A and F-35C to carry inside the weapons bay, is not yet available.
As previously noted, the USAF is adopting AARGM-ER as an interim solution for the service’s Stand In Attack Weapon program for the F-35A and other platforms. Northrop expects to produce more than 5,000 AARGM-ER/SiAW weapons under current efforts. https://t.co/40RrPjVCyP
— Air Power | NatSec Ledger (@NatSecLedger) February 23, 2026
Therefore, the aircraft’s SEAD capabilities, at least for the time being, will primarily rely on the F-35’s Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, which has sophisticated electronic attack capabilities including false targeting, network attacks, advanced jamming, and data streams containing algorithms.
In an official U.S. Air Force statement earlier this year, Lt. Col. John Widmer, 13th Fighter Squadron commander, described the F-35 as “custom-built to be a weasel platform.” He noted that while existing aircraft were equipped with additional sensors or weapons specifically for the mission, the F-35 was designed from the ground up as a sensor platform that combines stealth, advanced sensors, sensor fusion and combat “quarterback” capabilities. According to Widmer, stealth is one of the most important advantages of transitioning from the F-16, but it is the aircraft’s ever-evolving sensor package that allows pilots to detect, understand and manage the full range of enemy threats.
Many thanks to Tim Wurth for sharing the photos and Victoria Mae Fontana for the heads up!
