The Air Force intends to station a detachment of 10 T-38 trainer aircraft at Tyndall AFB, Fla., announced Florida Sen. George LeMieux (R). The T-38s will serve there in a “dedicated adversary” role in support of Tyndall’s F-22s, he said. Tyndall is currently home to F-22 training but is also slated to receive a squadron of combat-ready F-22s under the Air Force’s F-22 basing consolidation plan. LeMieux said the first T-38s would arrive by the end of September 2011, and all 10 are expected to be in place by the end of March 2012.
The Pentagon awarded a contract worth over $2 billion for the next batch of F-35 engines to Pratt & Whitney on June 5. The deal for Lot 17 F135 engines, totaling $2.02 billion, is expected to be completed by December 2025.