Further F-35s arrive at Eglin

AF-10 and AF-11 at Fort Worth, with chase F-16s, before their departure to Eglin. (Lockheed Martin)

Two further low rate initial production (LRIP) F-35As have been delivered to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, doubling the fleet of the first JSF training unit, the USAF’s 33rd Fighter Wing.

F-35As AF-10 and AF-11 arrived at Eglin on August 31, where they will be initially used by the 33rd FW for maintainer training.

Their delivery followed the F-35 Joint Program Office authorising a return to flight operations for F-35 production aircraft on August 26 (a week after instrumented flight test F-35s were cleared to return to flight) following the F-35 fleet’s grounding on August 3.