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  • F-35: Heritage Flight Training and Certification Course 2017

    The heritage flight program has flown aircraft during open houses and airshows across the country. This year is the second in which the F-35 Lightning II has participated in the heritage program. From Feb. 9 to Feb. 12 the F-35 flew in formations with several aircraft including the F-22 Raptor, A-10

  • F-35’s first B-course takes flight

    The Air Force’s first F-35 Lightning II basic flight course class took to the skies for the first time as they entered the live flying portion of their training Feb. 8, 2017.

  • Luke creates first F-35 undergraduate pilot syllabus

    It was a historic moment as the first class of undergraduate pilots began training through the newly written F-35 Lightning II syllabus Monday in the F-35 Academic Training Center at Luke Air Force Base.

  • Lightning I pilot meets Lightning II, shares stories

    Retired Maj. Earl Conrad Jr., a World War II fighter pilot who flew the original P-38 Lightning, visited Luke Air Force Base Oct. 3, 2016, to get a glimpse of the F-35 Lightning II, the namesake of the legendary fighter aircraft which dominated the skies over the Pacific during his time in service.

  • LFE includes F-35 for the first time

    After eight months of intense training, the students of the 310th and 309th Fighter Squadron Basic F-16 Fighting Falcon Course were put to their final test as they joined forces with the F-35 and a multitude of other platforms during their capstone Large Force Exercises April 18-29, at Luke Air

  • F-35 Lightning II refuels

    A Luke Air Force Base F-35 Lightning II accepts fuel from a KC -135 Stratotanker May 5, 2016, at 21 thousand feet above Arizona.

  • 61st Fighter Squadron deploys GBU-12

    An F-35 Lightning II from the 61st Fighter Squadron deploys a GBU-12 500-pound laser- guided bomb for the first time in the squadron's history April 25, 2016, at the Barry M. Goldwater Range in Gila Bend, Ariz. Three F-35s successfully delivered six inert GBU-12s during the practice sortie, making

  • AF names candidate bases, criteria for choosing next F-35A sites

    Air Force officials announced April 12 that Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona; Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida; Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas; and Whiteman AFB, Missouri, are candidate bases for the first Reserve-led F-35A Lightning II location.

  • Luke F-35s drop first weapons

    The F-35A Lightning II program took another step toward initial operational capability yesterday when two aircraft assigned to the 62nd Fighter Squadron successfully employed four laser-guided bombs on the Barry M. Goldwater Range.