USAF activated the 513th Electronic Warfare Squadron at Eglin AFB, Fla., April 23, according to an April 29 release. The new unit, commanded by Lt. Col. Tim Welde, will provide EW support to Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps pilots for the new F-35 strike fighter. Once fully staffed, it will comprise some 130 personnel, in a 50 percent USAF and 50 percent Navy and Marine Corps mix. The unit also will test F-35 EW capability in the new US Reprogramming Lab, currently under construction with a projected completion date this summer, followed by hardware delivery in spring 2011. Meanwhile, said Welde, “Our engineers are currently developing threat models and 5th generation mission data; our technicians are undergoing maintenance training as well as prepping the lab.” Command of the unit, part of the 53rd Wing at Eglin, will rotate between USAF and Navy. (Eglin report by Ashley Wright)
Exasperated with the delays to the F-35’s Tech Refresh 3 update—which has held up deliveries of completed fighters since last fall—the House Armed Services Committee wants to slash the military services’ fiscal 2025 F-35 purchase by at least 10 aircraft and as much as 20.