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)
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
