The 62nd Fighter Squadron transitioned from the F-16 to the F-35A, becoming the second Lightning II pilot training squadron at Luke AFB, Ariz., in a ceremony there earlier this month, officials announced. “As we open this new chapter in our squadron’s history, we will focus our efforts on what we’ve been doing for three generations—training and delivering combat air power,” said incoming 62nd FS Commander Lt. Col. Gregory Frana during the June 5 transition ceremony. Luke stood-up the 61st FS as the first of six F-35 training squadrons in October 2013. The 62nd FS will begin receiving F-35s next month, and will eventually host US, Italian, and Norwegian conversion training. Luke bid farewell to 308th FS F-16s earlier this month when it inactivated to remerge as the 314th FS at Holloman AFB, N.M. Luke will eventually host a total of 144 strike fighters.
The Senate passed its version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization bill late Oct. 9 with new language restricting retirements for B-1 bombers and E-3 AWACS. Now lawmakers from the House and Senate must set about resolving the differences between their two bills, which could lead to significant changes for…
