HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah — The 419th Fighter Wing completed the Air Force Reserve’s first ever F-35 hot integrated combat turn certifications during a Unit Training Assembly Sept. 6–7, 2025, validating a critical combat capability that combines live refueling and weapons loading on a fifth-generation fighter. The milestone demonstrates a major advancement in Reserve combat readiness, enabling Airmen to rapidly generate aircraft for sustained operations in contested environments.
“With the 419th getting qualified crews, we can more effectively join our total force integration partners and have expanded our combat capability across the force,” said Capt. Rebecca Kretzer, the 419 aircraft maintenance squadron director of operations. “Wherever our partners go, we will be ready and right beside them.”
Hot ICTs are designed to dramatically reduce aircraft turn times in contested environments, allowing aircraft to return to the fight faster under agile combat employment conditions.
“Today we’re performing a certification event for hot ICTs,” said Chief Master Sgt. Michael Young, Wing Weapons Manager for the 419th FW. “It’s combining weapons loading with refuel activities simultaneously. The goal is to have an aircraft pull in, get loaded and refueled, and get back out into the fight in under 25 minutes.”
For the 419th, this certification represented more than a procedural milestone. It introduced a new operational capability for reserve Airmen on a fifth-generation platform, one that directly supports expeditionary operations and near-peer fight requirements.
“This will help take potential turn times from over an hour to under 25 minutes,” Young said. “So we’re cutting our turn time by greater than 50 percent. It’s a very fine dance to ensure the refueling team can maneuver where they need to while the weapons load crew is doing the same.”
Executing that “dance” required months of deliberate preparation. Airmen completed academic training, dry runs and coordinated walk-throughs to safely integrate multiple maintenance specialties in close proximity around a live aircraft.
“Every time you install a new capability, there’s always growing pains,” Young added. “But training is how we overcome those obstacles. This certification is the culmination of months of hard work.”
For Staff Sgt. Allison Tomas, a weapons load crew member, the training underscored both the operational urgency and the personal pride that comes with mastering a high-demand skill set.
“When you refuel and then load, that takes a lot of time,” Tomas said. “To be able to do it all together is remarkable. We practiced for a whole week, about eight hours a day, just to get it right.”
Tomas said the certification expands both individual and unit capability, allowing qualified Airmen to fill multiple positions and train others across the wing. “I feel like I can do a lot more,” she said. “We’re always prepared, and it’s good because we can train other people. That’s makes us more ready.”
The benefits extended beyond the weapons community. Staff Sgt Hunter Burch, a fuels Airman supporting the event, said conducting hot ICTs at home station reinforced the importance of cross-functional integration, something he first experienced in a deployed environment.
“My first time doing an ICT was real world, deployed,” Hunter said. “Doing it here, with home units, gave me a better understanding of how I can assist the crew chiefs and weapons teams.” Hunter emphasized that the training reinforced a broader perspective on Air Force maintenance and combat operations.
“It’s not just me putting fuel on a jet,” he said. “It’s seeing weapons load munitions at the same time. At the end of the day, we all fight for the same team.”
As a reserve component wing, the 419th FW balances civilian careers with military readiness. Events like the hot ICT certification demonstrate how focused training during limited drill periods can deliver high-impact combat capability.
By validating rapid turn operations, the wing strengthened its ability to generate combat power on demand, ensuring reserve Airmen remain ready, relevant and fully integrated into the Total Force fight.