01/17/12 During Second Line of Defense visits in mid-January 2012 to the participants in Bold Alligator, we were able to focus on the meaning of the arrival of the new USMC F-35Bs to Eglin AFB. Col. Arthur TOMASSETTI, vice commander of the 33rd Fighter Wing, Air Education and Training Command,…
09/01/2011: Two F-35As, AF-10 and AF-11, along with two F-16 chase aircraft, are poised for takeoff to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. August 31. They arrived at the base later that day. AF-10 and AF-11 completed the 90-minute flight marking the ninth and tenth F-35 deliveries of 2011. The pair…
07/26/2011: To get a sense of what the AF-9 and AF-8 F-35s landing at Eglin this month represent in terms of the production process, Second Line of Defense interviewed Dr. Kinard, Deputy F-35 Fighter Production System. Earlier we interviewed Kinard with regard to the approach to wing production on the…
07/14/2011 The first F-35A for the pilot training and maintenance training program arrived today at Eglin AFB. Our sources at Eglin indicate that this is a DD250 aircraft which means that, de facto, it is part of the operational USAF. The DD 250 shows Air Force ownership of aircraft. This…