A second F-35A touched down at Nellis AFB, Nev., last week, joining the Air Force Weapons School less than a month after the first Lightning II arrived. “The long-term goal for the F-35 in the Weapons School is for it to completely integrate with all of the other platforms, to bring out its capability, and to add to the capability of the other fighters,” Air Force Warfare Center Commander Maj. Gen. Jay Silveria said in a release. The school will operate a fleet of 24 Lightning IIs, and plans to launch its first full-up weapons course in January 2018. Until then, the school’s F-35s will be engaged training weapons instructors and honing curriculum. The second F-35 arrived at the schoolhouse Feb. 18, according to officials.
When Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rolled out an expansive acquisition reform agenda earlier this month, he promised aggressive implementation and reorganization aimed at transforming the way the Pentagon develops and fields weapons and platforms. The plan appears to have been well-received by past administration officials and lawmakers from both parties who…
