A Royal Air Force tanker is in the process of being certified to refuel the F-35 in mid-air. The Voyager tanker is deployed to NAS Patuxent River, Md., for F-35B air-to-air refueling trials, and is expected to complete its last test flight by mid-June, according to the F-35 program office. The tanker will fly 20 test flights, collecting data for a certification “later this year,” according to a press release. Once the RAF tanker is certified, it will join the US, Italy, Australia, and the Netherlands on the list of countries with tankers that can refuel the Joint Strike Fighter. (See also: F-35s to Fly at Farnborough.)
Amid a high-profile recruiting crisis, Air Force leaders and experts have increasingly noted the challenging long-term trends the service will face in enticing young Americans to sign up—decreasing eligibility to serve, less propensity to do so, and less familiarity with the military. But while those same leaders say there’s no “silver…