First F-35A female pilot in combat

AL DHAFRA AIR BASE, United Arab Emirates - Historically, Air Force fighter pilots and maintainers have been men, but now, in the words of Bob Dylan, the “times they are a’changin’.” Capt. Emily Thompson, an F-35A Lightning II pilot with the call sign of “Banzai”, deployed for the first time from the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill AFB, Utah, and made history by flying into combat and becoming the first female to do it in that airframe. “(I)t was a pretty big deal, the first combat sortie for me,” she said. “Of course, being the first female, it’s a pretty big honor," said the pilot. "There’s a lot of females who have come before me … So, just to be the person who gets that honor, that first, it just meant a lot.” Her childhood dream was to be a veterinarian and police officer. She graduated from college as an aerospace engineer. Then she found out that “I could fly, instead of build the airplanes.” She began flight as an F-16F pilot, then transitioned into training for the F-35A. On the day of her first combat sortie, she had an all-female maintenance crew launch her historic flight. Airman First Class Ashlin Randolph, a weapons load crew member, was one of the four-person team on duty. “It was very empowering, it was awesome!,” said Randolph. (Source: 380th Air Expeditionary Wing 06/09/20) https://www.nellis.af.mil/News/Article/2214845/female-airmen-deployed-from-hill-team-up-for-historic-combat-launch/