The 33rd Fighter Wing is hosting a large force exercise here January 29 through February 9, 2018.

Two Petty Officers 1st Class from the USS Abraham Lincoln received initial training from the U.S. Air Force’s 33rd Maintenance Squadron’s Aerospace Ground Equipment flight here, Aug. 7-11, 2017

The 33rd Fighter Wing and Marine Attack Squadron 221 are participating in the first combat exercise with Air Force F-35As and Marine Corps F-35Bs operating simultaneously during Red Flag 17-3, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.

The Ogden Air Logistics Complex accomplished another "first" in support of the F-35 Lightning II program.

As Air Force leaders ponder whether to send F-35As overseas this year in what would be the jet’s first-ever operational deployment, officials could point to this year’s Red Flag exercise as a case study of how it can enhance both training and combat.

As he stands at the step desk, you wouldn’t miss the subtle differences in his uniform. His brown leather boots seem foreign next to the sage green ones accompanying him.

The 33rd Fighter Wing loaded and shot the first air-to-air missiles from an operational F-35A during a weapons system evaluation at Tyndall Air Force Base, Jan. 31, 2017,

Three F-35B aircraft and 75 U.S. Marines from Marine Operational Test & Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1) F-35B Detachment at Edwards Air Force Base , CA, along with 21 test personnel from the JSF Operational Test Team at Edwards deployed to Eglin AFB, FL., from August 9 to September 1, 2016 to complete Operational Test missile

Since the introduction of the F-35A Lightning II, Airmen at the 33rd Fighter Wing have saved the Air Force close to $84,000 and more than 720 hours of shipping delays by locally manufacturing parts and tools.

After spending the past few weeks watching "Top Gun" and videos of the F-35 Lightning II, Christian Loafman was ready for his May 18 visit here as its first F-35A Pilot for a Day.

Two F-35A Lightning II aircraft assigned to the 33rd Fighter Wing here successfully employed two laser-guided bombs March 3 at a nearby range, advancing the Air Force's F-35A training syllabus ahead of its initial operational capability.

The weapons drop was originally scheduled for late spring of this year, but innovation and persistence from 33rd FW pilots and maintainers allowed for an earlier launch of the munition

Two F-35A’s teamed up with the 3rd Battalion to provide air support against simulated hostile targets in close proximity to the Rangers.

Capt. Christopher Clements, 158th Operations Support Squadron intelligence officer, graduated Feb. 11, 2016, with seven other Airmen and U.S. Marines qualified in F-35-specific intelligence.

This is the first simulated deployment test of the F-35A Lightning II.

F-35 Lightning II aircraft operating at 12 different locations worldwide surpassed the 50,000 flight hour mark this month.

The 33rd Fighter Wing held its first weapons load competition here, April 3, since the 2009 draw down of the F-15C Eagle mission, to determine the best F-35A Lightning II weapons load crew.

Crew chiefs, who have worked alongside the F-35 since its production, have transformed into a new breed of maintainer capable of navigating the upgrades a 5th generation fighter jet will go through.

The F-35 joint strike fighter program is transitioning to a day when its pilots will come fresh out of flight school and the new jet fighter will be their first assignment.

International aspects of F-35 training at Luke make operations at the base different from other F-35 bases.

With a guttural roar, the newest fighter plane in the United States military’s inventory made its entrance at AirVenture 2015.

Lockheed Martin (Chalet 316) is taking steps to improve its manufacturing processes for the F-35 Lightning II. The company contends that more efficient manufacturing methods will help it drive down the flyaway cost of the fifth-generation fighter by $10 million by 2019, and by more if the U.S. government invests.

Lt. Col. Christine Mau, 33rd Fighter Wing Operations Group deputy commander, completed her first training flight in the single-seat fifth-generation fighter following 14 virtual training missions in the Full Mission Simulator at the F-35 Academic Training Center.

Squadron Leader Andrew Jackson has qualified to fly the F-35.

The 33rd Fighter Wing held its first weapons load competition since the 2009 draw down of the F-15C Eagle mission, to determine the best F-35A Lightning II weapons load crew.

“Everything I’ve done in the simulator made the F-35 remarkably easy to fly,” said Jackson. “It felt very similar to the F-18 Hornet that I have flown previously, so it was a very comfortable transition.”

Among the test aircraft at Edwards AFB are five added since the development started in 2001 to boost a focus on mission-systems flight trials, largely associated with the aircraft’s complex software.

The flight was on the morning of Wednesday 18 March in a United States Air Force F-35A aircraft, as the Australian F-35A aircraft are currently located at Luke Air Force Base.

The squadron, which was first formed in 1915, will be responsible for all the test and evaluation of the UK’s first F-35 Lightning II.

An F-35B from the F-35 Patuxent River Integrated Test Force in Maryland has undergone rigorous climatic testing at the U.S. Air Force 96th Test Wing’s McKinley Climatic Laboratory.

Squadron Leader Andrew Jackson, Australia’s first F-35A pilot, will commence training for his first F-35A flight at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

The jet will soon begin training in support of carrier-based operations.

The National Training and Simulation Association selected the F-35 Lightning II Training System for the 2014 Modeling & Simulation Award.

The National Training and Simulation Association selected the F-35 Lightning II Training System for the 2014 Modeling & Simulation Awards.

The "Grim Reapers" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101, the Navy's first F-35C Lightning II carrier variant squadron, reached a milestone in November 2014 by surpassing 1,000 mishap-free flight hours in the F-35C.

The U.S. Air Force deployed four F-22 Raptors from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, to Eglin Air Force Base, earlier this month for the unit's first operational integration training mission with the F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 33rd Fighter Wing.

Three Airmen with the 58th Aircraft Maintenance Unit loaded training munitions onto an F-35A Lightning II during a qualification load, officially becoming the first qualified operational weapons load crew for the F-35A.

Air Force Lt. Col. Gene “Joker” McFalls, F-35 Enterprise Lead with the 53rd Electronic Warfare Group, discusses the difference between 4th- and 5th-gen fighters.

The Bounty Hunters of Strike Fighter Squadron Two (VFA-2) recently sent a small detachment of their highly skilled aircrew and maintainers to Eglin AFB in support of the Grim Reapers of Strike Fighter Squadron 101.

When the wheels of his F-35A Lightning II touched down here around 1 p.m., Sept. 26, Maj. Gen. Jay Silveria became the first Department of Defense general officer to complete qualification training in the joint strike fighter.

Lockheed Martin delivered the next evolution of the F-35 Lightning II’s information technology backbone called the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS).

Nine Airmen became the first Air Force recruits to graduate initial skills technical training as F-35 Lightning II crew chiefs after completing Mission-Ready Airmen training on Aug. 7.

Staff Sgt. Mark Freeman, 33rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, performs a post-flight check on the tire of an F-35A Lightning II before refueling it at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.

As the US military customer and the industry team accelerate their completion of F-35 acquisition milestones, the pace of international activity also continues to quicken.

Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 (VMFAT-501), the Marine Corps' F-35B training squadron, continues its transition from Eglin AFB to MCAS Beaufort.

The 26 Air Force F-35s Lightning II joint strike fighters assigned here returned to limited flight operations July 17 with the approval of commanders and Air Force airworthiness authorities.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel visited to the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, meeting with and thanking service members and briefing local and national reporters.

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel visited the F-35 training wing at Eglin AFB to reinforce the Pentagon’s commitment to developing the military’s newest fighter jet.

One of the Navy's new F-35C jets will be captained by Melissa Deresky, the first female captain for the Navy's new stealth fighter.

Joint Strike Fighter officials are developing a mission data system that can immediately tell pilots if they are flying against an enemy fighter.

The 58th Fighter Squadron became the Air Force's first complete F-35A Lightning II squadron after they welcomed their 26th and final F-35A May 28 at the 33rd Fighter Wing.

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft fleet, which surpassed 16,000 program cumulative flight hours to date in April, flew a monthly record high for System Development and Demonstration (SDD) in April.

During their two-week annual training at Eglin AFB, reservists from the 419th Logistics Readiness Squadron were certified to refuel the F-35A Lightning II in preparation for the jet’s arrival to Hill AFB in fall 2015.

Pilots from Hill Air Force Base train alongside the F-35A Lightning II for the first time.

The 33rd Fighter Wing Reaches 100 Pilots and 1,000 Maintainers Qualified

An F-35A training pilot took off Monday at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., for the F-35’s first night training sortie.

F-35 nighttime training begins at Eglin AFB.

The cream of Britain’s military flyers and maintainers, hand-picked as the pioneers of The UK’s F-35 training programme, are working hand-in-hand with their US allies.

Starting next month, the first class of Air Force cadets straight out of basic training should start coming through the maintenance school at Eglin.

A Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II shared the sky this weekend with its World War II-era namesake, the P-38 Lightning.

Squadron Leader Hugh Nichols is the first UK instructor pilot to perform a vertical landing in the F-35B Lightning II - the UK’s next generation stealth combat aircraft.

33rd Fighter Wing pilots and maintainers tout the benefits of the F-35A Lightning II.

Royal Air Force Squadron Leader Hugh Nichols, an instructor pilot, completed the U.K.’s first F-35B vertical landing at Eglin Air Force Base.

Meet the F-16 pilot from Luke Air Force Base selected to be the first F-35 pilot at the base.

The first Netherlands pilot took to the skies in an F-35A Lightning II at Eglin Air Force Base.

An F-35B short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) fighter aircraft successfully employed a Guided Bomb Unit-32 (GBU-32) Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) weapon.

A United Kingdom F-35 Lightning II breaks left out of a formation flight with other F-35 aircraft over Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Dec. 4.

As training with the new F-35B Lightning II stealth aircraft continues in Florida, USA, a Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot has described how impressed he is with the ‘game-changing’ jet.

The 33rd Fighter Wing and the F-35 Lightning II program reached a new milestone when Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron-501 completed its first short take-off and vertical landing mission on Oct. 24.

It was a moment of high anticipation when, on October 1 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., the Navy’s “Grim Reapers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101rolled out their newest aircraft — an F-35C Lightning II.

The Navy's first F-35C Lightning II carrier variant aircraft squadron, the "Grim Reapers" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101, hosted a rollout ceremony for their new aircraft at the squadron's home at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Oct.1.

VFA-101 will fly the Navy’s newest aircraft, the Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35C Lightning II carrier variant, to perform the mission of training pilots and sailors to fly and service the aircraft fleet.

"I’ve never seen a pilot come back from his first sortie without a huge smile on his face. It’s something new, and programs like this only come around every 30 years or so, and to be on the ground floor – it’s the perfect time."

"No promises were made about flying—at that time the airplane was just drawings—but with a few months to go until graduation the opportunity to work on a prototype aircraft was too good to pass up."

The Air Force’s F-35 program is expected to reach two major milestones this fall: the adoption of an advanced software and weapons system on the single-engine jet, and the beginning of major pilot training at the service’s second base for the fighter.

After months of preparation the weapons troop Standardization Load Crew from the 33rd Maintenance Group performed the first munitions load verification on the F-35A Lightning II here Aug. 27.

Airmen and Marines assigned to the F-35 Integrated Training Center at the 33rd Fighter Wing here have consistently flown successful training sorties and generated their 2,000th sortie Aug. 13 with an instructor pilot of the Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron-501 (VMFAT-501), at the controls.

Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101, the Navy's first F-35C Lightning II carrier variant aircraft squadron, completed its first flight Aug. 14 in its new aircraft at the squadron's home at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.

One of the Air Force's newest aircrew flight equipment teams is now the Air Force's best.

Maj. Robert Miller became the 100th pilot to fly the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II when he took to the skies above Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., for a training flight on July 9.

The largest fleet of F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighters ramped up to 28 aircraft June 25, bringing in new capability for the F-35 Integrated Training Center as the team trains to provide combat operations capability in the years ahead.

The third Lockheed Martin F-35B Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing (STOVL) Lightning II for the United Kingdom arrived at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., yesterday where it will be used for pilot and maintainer training.

The first Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II Navy carrier variant (CV) aircraft, CF-6, arrived at Strike Fighter Squadron 101 located at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., on June 22. The jet is the Navy’s first 5th generation F-35 production aircraft.

The U.S. Navy's Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101 received the Navy's first F-35C Lightning II carrier variant aircraft from Lockheed Martin today at the squadron's home at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.

The largest fleet of F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft grew to 25 aircraft as the F-35 Integrated Training Center here welcomed two new Air Force F-35A variants of the multi-role fighter to the Emerald Coast yesterday.

The Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron-501 celebrated the one-year anniversary of flying the F-35B Lightning II here Wednesday by continuing to train up the pilots and maintainers on the nation’s newest fifth-generation fighter.

“This is a once in a lifetime chance to get to write the first chapter in a story…

The initial cadre of F-35A Lightning II instructor pilots qualified in aerial refueling last week, adding another capability for student pilot training at the 33rd Fighter Wing's F-35 Integrated Training Center here.

"Eleven pilots had flown 14 refueling missions across the boom with the help of a KC-135 Stratotanker…

A small team of UK personnel are learning all about the fifth-generation stealth aircraft at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

So far, Britain has taken delivery of 2 Lightning II multi-role Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. The pair of STOVL (short take-off and vertical landing) variants of the F-35 fast jet are currently…

The Air Force this week began training an initial cadre of instructor pilots in F-35 aerial refueling at Eglin AFB, Fla., starting a process that will allow the service to eventually train other pilots at various bases across the country.

Air Force 50th Fighter Squadron Commander Lt. Col. Lee Kloos told Defense Daily…

The US Air Force's 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin AFB, Florida, received its first Block 2A configuration Lockheed Martin F-35A on 6 May. Another similarly configured aircraft is scheduled to arrive at the base later in the month.

This aircraft called, AF-25, is equipped with an initial version of the Block 2A configuration,…

The US Marine Corps' VMFAT-501 training squadron, which is assigned to the US Air Force's 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin AFB, Florida, launched its first F-35B eight-ship earlier today. The unit flew one mission and then conducted a hot pit refueling before going back up again.

See the post on The DEW Line blog from…

The first international student aviator at the 33rd Fighter Wing, training to be an F-35B instructor pilot, completed his first sortie in the joint strike fighter on March 19.

Two officers from the operational test community are among the six pilots in the first F-35 Lightning II pilot training course after an Air Education and Training Command decision to start training here in January.

Lt. Col. Benjamin Bishop, the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron director of operations, is one of the…

Increasing capability is becoming routine for the F-35 Lightning II team.

The 58th Aircraft Maintenance Unit produced a four-turn-four for the 58th Fighter Squadron flying Jan 31.

"The pilots flew four F-35As in the morning and the maintainers performed routine maintenance for airworthiness after landing. Then the crew…