Luke Stands Up First F-35 Undergraduate Pilot Curriculum

12/17/2016
2016-12-17 In a piece written by Staff Sgt. Grace Lee, 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs, a new milestone for F-35 training was identified and discussed. The first class of undergraduate pilots began training through the newly written F-35 Lightning II curriculum Dec. 5 in the F-35 Academic Training Center at…

Trump’s Indian Opportunity

12/17/2016
2016-12-11 By Richard Weitz President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to appoint South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley as his future UN Ambassador underscores that the incoming administration, which begins on January 20, understands the importance of developing stronger Indian-U.S. ties. The bilateral national security relationship is critical for realizing both countries’ core…

The Moment Pilots First Realized the F-35 was Something Extraordinary

12/16/2016
2016-12-06 By Todd Miller Statistics, Milestones, Capabilities, Flight characteristics, Test protocols, Cost, Software blocks. It is easy to get lost in the complexity of the F-35 program. The combined F-35 fleet now has over 75,000 flight hours, yet for many there remains a lack of understanding.  Much of this can…

Mayor Fukuda Visits MCAS Yuma Prior to Arrival of VMFA-121 to Japan

12/16/2016
12/16/2016: From left to right, U.S. Marine Corps Col. Richard Fuerst, commanding officer of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni, Japan, Kosei Nomura, director of Status of U.S. Forces Agreement Division Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Lt. Col. J. T. Bardo, commanding officer of Marine Fighter Attack Sqaudron (VMFA) 121,…

VMFA-121 Brings F-35B to Red Flag 16-3 For First Time

12/16/2016
12/16/2016:  We have recently interviewed the CO of VMFA-121 in Yuma in early December 2016 and will shortly publish his interview.  But this story from July 2016 discusses a milestone to the process of the squadron preparing for its deployment to Japan in 2017. Six F-35B Lightning IIs with Marine Fighter Attack…

Steel Knight 16: A Step for VMFA 121 on the Way to Japan in 2017

12/16/2016
12/16/2016: We have recently interviewed the CO of VMFA-121 in Yuma in early December 2016 and will shortly publish his interview.  But this story from a year ago discusses a milestone to the process of the squadron preparing for its deployment to Japan in 2017. Marines and Sailors with the 3rd Marine…