33rd Fighter Wing surpasses 5,000 combined F-35 sorties

Photo By Staff Sgt. katerina Nelske | A Navy F-35C, a Marine Corps F-35B, and an Air Force F-35A Lightning II participate in a training sortie together May 21, near Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. All three variants of the fifth generation multirole stealth fighter are hosted at Eglin by the 33rd Fighter Wing. The wing’s F-35 Integrated Training Center at Eglin surpassed 5,000 combined training sorties May 28, contributing more than a third of all sorties in the Department of Defense’s F-35 program. The F-35 is designed with the stealth, electronic warfare, and multi-spectral fused sensor capabilities, which will increase lethality and survivability in a contested environment. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Joely M. Santiago)  

FORT WALTON BEACH, FL, UNITED STATES

05.29.2014

Story by 1st Lt. Hope Cronin 

96th Test Wing

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. - The 33rd Fighter Wing etched another mark on the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter program May 28 by logging its 5,000th combined sortie in the F-35.

The F-35 Integrated Training Center at the wing flies a third of all F-35 sorties in the Department of Defense program. More than 15,000 sorties have been flown across all variants of the fifth generation multirole stealth fighter.

"Our team knows they are leading the way in putting the F-35 through its paces and developing the cadre that will establish the F-35's role in air dominance," said Col. Todd Canterbury, the 33rd FW commander. "The men and women here advance the ball down the line every day, and we see that in the number of sorties generated and students trained."

The maturity of the F-35 program at Eglin was echoed this week, he said.

Also this week, the Air Force's 58th Fighter Squadron welcomed its 26th and final F-35A delivery scheduled in the current environmental impact study.

The F-35 ITC is responsible for F-35 A/B/C Lightning II pilot and maintainer training for the Marine Corps, the Navy, the Air Force and, in the future, at least eight international partners.

• Date Taken: 05.29.2014
• Date Posted: 05.30.2014 17:23
• Story ID: 131709
• Location: FORT WALTON BEACH, FL, US