AF-8 became the second Air Force F-35A strike fighter to arrive at Eglin AFB, Fla., to support the 33rd Fighter Wing’s F-35 training mission, announced prime contractor Lockheed Martin. The aircraft flew into Eglin from the company’s F-35 assembly facility in Fort Worth, Tex., on Wednesday. It joined AF-9, another F-35A production unit, that on July 14 became the first F-35 to touch down at Eglin for bed down and use at the schoolhouse to train F-35 pilots and maintainers. The 33rd FW is building a force of 59 F-35s, including F-35As, Marine Corps F-35Bs, and Navy F-35Cs, for training purposes.
The U.S. military is sending more fighter jets to the Middle East to step up its war with Iran, adding to what is already the largest buildup of airpower in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. For now, the operation shows little sign of coming to a quick…