Aeronautical Systems Center officials at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, on Tuesday issued the military flight release that will allow the F-35A strike fighter to begin initial operations at Eglin AFB, Fla., according to a Wright-Patt release. “The Air Force, [F-35] program office, and other stakeholders have painstakingly followed established risk-acceptance and -mitigation processes to ensure the F-35A is ready,” said Gen. Donald Hoffman, head of Air Force Materiel Command that oversees ASC. Hoffman added, “This is an important step for the F-35A.” Eglin is the site of the initial joint F-35 schoolhouse. With the clearance, qualified pilots will be able to conduct “unmonitored flights” with F-35As for purposes like increasing pilot and maintainer familiarity with the aircraft and exercising the logistics infrastructure, states the release. These initial F-35A flights “will be limited, scripted, [and] conducted within the restrictions and stipulations of the MFR,” it states. (See also Tentative Steps at Eglin.)
When Space Force leaders started talking about expanding the service early this year, the idea was simple: double the size of the force in the next five years. At AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber conference this week, officials detailed just how they’re planning to grow so much so quickly.
