Summary US F/A-18E Super Hornets now operate from Jordan in preparation for possible Iranian strikes on Israel. USS Theodore Roosevelt replaces USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the region, with USS Abraham Lincoln soon to follow.
US also building up forces in Japan with F-35A and F-35C jets to replace Super Hornets on USS George Washington. In another sign of high tensions in the Middle East, US Navy F/A-18E Super Hornets from the Nimitz class carrier , the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), now operate from US air bases in Jordan. The move comes as fears abound that an anticipated retaliatory Iranian strike on Israel could occur any day.
Such an attack would be in reprisal for a suspected Israeli assassination of the leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran. US stationing F/A-18A Super Hornets in Japan The F/A-18s are from the Strike Fighter Squadron 25 (VFA-25). They first arrived at Jordan's Muwafffaq Salti Air Base on August 3, but pictures of them have only just been released.
According to the War Zone , these Super Hornets are configured for counter-air operations. Each has at least four AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) and four AIM-9X Sidewinders. The USS Theodore Roosevelt is currently on patrol somewhere in the region and has taken over from the USS Dwight D.
Eisenhower (CVN-69) (which has recently returned home after an exceptionally long deployment). As part of the repositioning of forces in the Middle Eastern region, the USS Abraham Lincoln will soon replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the area . Jordan has long been a stable and reliable US ally and partner in the region.
It is expected that if Iran (and its proxies) launches another major attack on Israel, these jets (along with other US assets and allies) will spring into action and shoot the missiles and drones down. While there are a number of avenues Iran can take to strike Israel (or even American) targets in the region, the use of long-range drones and missiles is seen as the most likely. After a historic deployment and multiple false claimed of being struck by the Houthis, the Ike has safely returned to her home port.
Parallel build up in Japan The build-up of US forces is paralleling another build-up of US Forces in bases in the Western Pacific. There, the US is dispatching more advanced F-35A and F-35C fifth-generation fighter jets . While the US Air Force is basing more F-35As in Japan, the US Navy is sending a squadron of F-35Cs to Japan ahead of the aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington (CVN-73) (which will arrive in the region soon).
The F-35Cs are to replace the Super Hornets on the carrier . The USS George Washington is one of a handful of carriers certified to carry F-35Cs - the others include the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). While Super Hornets may be more than sufficient for dissuading and countering Iran, the same might not be the case in the Pacific against China.
Different aircraft are better suited for different wars and threats..
