A Marine Corps F-35B lifted off for the first time from the joint F-35 schoolhouse at Eglin AFB, Fla. “Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 has had an exciting year with the arrival of our first three aircraft in January . . . and now generating sorties,” said Marine Lt. Col. David Berke, the unit’s commander, when discussing the historic May 22 flight, which came some two months after Air Force F-35As began flying from the schoolhouse. Marine Maj. Joseph Bachmann took off and landed conventionally with the F-35B on the May 22 sortie. The Marines said they plan to slowly work up to short-takeoff and vertical-landing flights at Eglin. The base now hosts a total of 12 F-35s, both A and B models, with the May 15 arrival of another F-35B. (Eglin report by Chrissy Cuttita)
Since President Donald Trump first unveiled his “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative in late January, much of the focus for it has been focused on space—how the Pentagon may deploy dozens, if not hundreds, of sensors and interceptors into orbit to protect the continental U.S. from missile barrages. But the Air…