UK to receive final F-35 test aircraft shortly

The United Kingdom is shortly to receive its final testbed Lockheed Martin F-35.
The Further to these first four trials and training aircraft, the United Kingdom has contracted 10 of the first 14 operational jets that have been authorised by parliament under the Main Gate 4 approval process. Kingdom currently has two operational test and evaluation (BK-1 and BK-2) and one training aircraft (BK-3) flying out of Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) in Florida.
The first operational unit - 617 'Dambusters' Squadron - will stand up with the first 14 operational aircraft and BK-3 at Beaufort Pilot Training Center at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort, South Carolina, later in 2016.
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Eglin welcomes final F-35A

The 58th Fighter Squadron became the Air Force's first complete F-35A Lightning II squadron after they welcomed their 26th and final F-35A May 28 at the 33rd Fighter Wing.
F-35A AF-45 was ferried , from Lockheed Martin's F-35 production center in Fort Worth, Texas.
The arrival of the last Air Force joint strike fighter variant scheduled to be stationed at the wing marked a shift in priorities for the 58th FS and 58th Aircraft Maintenance Unit. Both units experienced a series of transitions and accomplishments since the arrival of the first F-35A here July 14, 2011.
The last F-35A delivered is more capable than the first F-35A delivered three years ago as a result of the F-35 program's concurrency development model. The concurrency model executes testing, training and development simultaneously and incorporates feedback from each area into subsequent Low Rate Initial Production blocks produced at Lockheed Martin's factory.
AF-45 arrived with Block 2A software and upgrades, including the use of simulated weapons, datalinks, and night and Instrument Meteorological Conditions flight capabilities.
The arrival of AF-45 is a milestone for the Air Force as we move closer to F-35A Initial Operational Capability in 2016.
af.mil

F-35 training at night to start soon

Next week, the F-35 fighter will take to the night skies over Northwest Florida for the first time.
About nine of the F-35s at Eglin Air Force Base are equipped for use in training pilots to navigate at night. The wing slowly and steadily has been ramping up its training of pilots and maintainers for the F-35.
If all goes as planned, pilots may start night flying as early as Monday evening. Takeoffs would be about 8 p.m. and flights would last about an hour.
nwfdailynews

Lockheed Marks100th Production F-35

The one hundredth production F-35 Lightning II Strike Fighter was unveiled today.

The aircraft, AF-41, is the 41st F-35A Conventional Take Off & Landing variant for the US Air Force and will be the first to be delivered to the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., early in 2015. It will be used to train pilots from the United States and international partner nations.
Luke is set to become the largest F-35 base in the United States.
AF-41 is the first of 144 F-35s scheduled for delivery to Luke under an Air Force plan announced last June to increase the number of based squadrons to six, with training to begin in 2015. The number will include aircraft from international partners such as Australia, who will place two aircraft under the command of the 56th Fighter Wing in January 2015.
The 56th Fighter Wing will report to Air Education and Training Command, which also oversees F-35 training at the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Since the first F-35 was delivered to Eglin in March 2012, 43 US pilots have been trained and there are 17 aircraft on line, including two Dutch F-35As.
defensenews

Dutch Parliament Clears F-35 Purchase

The Dutch Parliament has ratified the government’s choice of the F-35 as the Netherlands next-generation fighter, putting an end to a 15-year debate.
The vote on whether the stealthy plane will replace the Dutch fleet of F-16s occurred the evening of Nov. 7.
Both Lockheed Martin, prime contractor on the plane, and engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney reacted positively to the news.
The Dutch government selected the fifth-generation fighter Sept. 17, releasing a statement calling the plane “a well-considered choice for a high-tech, future-oriented air force.’
The purchase will be for 37 of the F-35A conventional-take-off-and-landing variants, which will be the most widely produced model of the jet. The US Air Force intends to purchase more than 1,700 F-35As.
The Netherlands has already purchased two F-35A variants, while the first Dutch pilot is currently in training school at Eglin Air Force Base.
defensenews

US Marines fly first F-35 STOVL mission at Eglin

The 33rd Fighter Wing and the F-35 Lightning II program reached a new milestone when Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron-501 completed its first short take-off and vertical landing mission on Oct. 24.
It was an hour-long mission in which the aircraft remained in the STOVL configuration for the entire flight. The aircraft flew pattern procedures around the base before gliding in, stopping in mid-air about 100 feet off the Eglin runway, performing a stationary right turn and slowly lowered to the ground.
The STOVL operation also marks a significant achievement in the program for some partner countries. VMFAT-501 hosts three pilots and 13 maintainers from the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and Royal Navy.
eglin.af.mil

The Netherlands to commence F-35 training in November

The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) is to shortly begin training air and ground personnel on the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).
RNLAF pilots and technicians will begin training at Eglin AFB in Florida at the end of October. The disclosure comes weeks after she announced that the Netherlands will procure a total of 37 JSFs to replace the RNLAF's Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons.
The pilots will start off with theoretical training and begin flying with the JSF in December. The training aims to prepare pilots and maintenance personnel for the operational test phase beginning in 2015.
The two Dutch F-35A conventional take-off and landing aircraft (AN-1, delivered in April 2012, and AN-2 delivered in March 2013) are currently at Eglin AFB. The two aircraft, along with the Dutch personnel, will move to Edwards AFB in California for the second part of the operational test phase.
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