AF-1, 
an F-35A test aircraft, recently underwent three weeks of static stores ejection testing, or pit testing, at Edwards AFB, Calif., so that the airplane’s engineers could evaluate how the release of a weapon from the stealth fighter physically affected the aircraft. For the testing, the engineers positioned AF-1 over a pit filled with foam and released an instrumented, inert joint direct attack munition and advanced medium-range air-to-air missile from the aircraft into the pit, according to a July 5 Edwards release. On and around the F-35 were cameras to measure the aircraft’s motion. Pit testing is a prerequisite for in-flight weapons-release testing, states the release.
The U.S. began extensive air and artillery strikes against Islamic State group targets in Syria on Dec. 19 in retaliation for the killing of three Americans on Dec. 13 by a gunman affiliated with ISIS, U.S. officials said.
