Two years after the first F-35A weapons load crews were certified, Air Education and Training Command dropped the first two live bombs from the fifth generation aircraft over the range at Eglin AFB, Fla. The 33rd Fighter Wing loaded the GBU-12s aboard six F-35s, dropping two over the Eglin range, states the release. “This further proves our airmen and sailors are the lethality behind this weapons systems,” said Col. Lance Pilch, the 33rd FW commander, in a Jan. 21 release.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
