Direct proof of use
The F-35A Lightning II is directly documented in the 2023 Red Sea Crisis through 388th Fighter Wing reporting on the 34th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron's 2025 deployment to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. The wing said the deployment began in March 2025, that the unit flew from several regional bases, and that its pilots were flying F-35 combat missions against Houthi targets within 24 hours of arriving in theater.
During Operation Rough Rider, 34th Fighter Squadron pilots contributed to strikes on Houthi air-defense systems, command-and-control facilities, weapons storage facilities, surface-to-air missile capabilities, and ballistic-missile capabilities. The same official account says the squadron recorded the first F-35A air-to-air kills against one-way attack drones and carried out Wild Weasel missions while under fire.
Sources: 388th FW Historic CENTCOM Deployment, 388th FW Combat Awards
Timeline
CENTCOM announced on March 15, 2025 that it had initiated precision strikes against Houthi targets across Yemen to restore freedom of navigation. The 388th Fighter Wing later placed the F-35A deployment in the same March start window and tied the 34th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron's combat sorties to Operation Rough Rider.
By April 27, CENTCOM described Operation Rough Rider as an intense and sustained campaign that had struck more than 800 targets, including command-and-control facilities, air-defense systems, weapons manufacturing facilities, and weapons storage locations. A later Combating Terrorism Center assessment dated the campaign from March 15 to May 5, 2025 and described it as a U.S. offensive against the Houthis in Yemen connected to Red Sea freedom-of-navigation objectives.
Sources: CENTCOM Large Scale Houthi Operation, CENTCOM Targets Houthi Terrorists, CTC Operation Rough Rider Assessment, 388th FW Historic CENTCOM Deployment
Operational role
The supported F-35A roles in this conflict are strike, counter-air, and suppression of enemy air defenses. The 388th Fighter Wing account connects F-35As to attacks on Houthi military infrastructure, identifies air-defense and missile-capability target sets, and reports air-to-air engagements against one-way attack drones.
The public sources do not identify exact bases, aircraft tail numbers, specific munitions, or individual target coordinates for the Red Sea Crisis missions. CENTCOM said during the campaign that it had intentionally limited operational details, so the record should be read as official documentation of F-35A employment by mission type and target category rather than a sortie-by-sortie account.
Sources: 388th FW Historic CENTCOM Deployment, CENTCOM Targets Houthi Terrorists
