Ladder ops

A maintainer with the 56th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron from Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., waits to bring the ladder to the recently returned F-16 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., March 18. The F-16s were brought here to provide familiarization training to the 33rd Fighter Wing pilots prior to the arrival of the F-35 and to establish a “battle rhythm” for the 33rd flightline operations. Currently, Marines and Air Force pilots are completing daily sorties. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)

Aircraft crossing

F-16s from Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., taxi in after a morning sortie mission at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., March 18. The F-16s were brought here to provide familiarization training to the 33rd Fighter Wing pilots prior to the arrival of the F-35 and to establish a “battle rhythm” for the 33rd flightline operations. Currently, Marines and Air Force pilots are completing daily sorties. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)

Silencio

A C-12 Huron sits in the anechoic chamber at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The aircraft was part of a joint retrofitting test mission among the Army, Navy and Air Force to test their electronic warfare systems. The Army provided the aircraft that housed the Navy's electronic countermeasure systems, which was tested by the Air Force. An anechoic chamber is a room designed to stop reflections of either sound or electromagnetic waves. They are also insulated from exterior sources of noise. The The Joint Preflight Integration of Munitions and Electronic Systems, a subsidiary of the 46th Test Wing, has hosted similar joint test missions for more than five years in the chamber. JPRIMES provides an environment to facilitate testing air-to-air and air-to-surface munitions and electronics systems on full-scale aircraft and land vehicles prior to open air testing. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)

Wild blue

An F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 40th Flight Test Squadron tests a weapon over the Gulf of Mexico Feb. 8. The mission tested the capabilities of the Miniature Air Launch Decoy-Jammer. The Miniature Air Launched Decoy-Jammer is an air-launched programmable craft that duplicates the combat flight profiles and signatures of U.S. and allied aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Joely Santiago)

Lift off

A CV-22 Osprey from the 413th Flight Test Squadron begins to lift off from Duke Field Feb. 11. The 413th FTS is a squadron of the 46th Test Wing stationed at Hurlburt Field. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Samuel King Jr.)

Tail spotting

A CV-22 Osprey from the 413th Flight Test Squadron touches down as a 919th Special Operations Wing MC-130E Talon waits to be launched at Duke Field Feb. 11. The 413th FTS is a squadron of the 46th Test Wing stationed at Hurlburt Field. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Samuel King Jr.)

On the ground, in the air

A CV-22 Osprey from the 413th Flight Test Squadron flies overhead as the 919th Special Operations Wing MC-130E Talons wait to be launched Feb. 11 at Duke Field. The 413th FTS is a squadron of the 46th Test Wing stationed at Hurlburt Field. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Samuel King Jr.)

Standing guard

The F-16 flag ship and a QF-4 were just some of the aircraft on display during the 53rd Wing’s 70th birthday celebration Feb. 3 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Six different aircraft types representing just a few of the airframes the 53rd Wing use to conduct their mission of operational testing and evaluation were on display. The wing was activated Jan. 15, 1941. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)

The hook up

A 46th Test Wing F-15E Strike Eagle moves into position for refueling with a KC-135 Stratotanker from 927th Air Refueling Wing Jan. 18. The F-15E made its first flight with a new radar – the APG-82. It replaces the 24-year-old APG-70 radar system. The four-year-old project is managed by the F-15E Operational Flight Program Combined Test Force. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Felicia Welch)

Blue view

A 46th Test Wing F-15E Strike Eagle carries a new radar system on its first flight sortie Jan. 18. The new APG-82 radar replaces the 24-year-old APG-70 radar system. The four-year-old project is managed by the F-15E Operational Flight Program Combined Test Force. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Felicia Welch)

Show me the way

Airman 1st Class Christopher Pizzitola, 56th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, marshals Lt. Col. John Wilbourne, 58th Fighter Squadron commander, and his F-16 out at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Jan. 18. Colonel Wilbourne and Maj. Matthew Renbarger, 58th FS deputy of operations, flew the first sortie for the 33rd Fighter Wing since it switched to its new training mission designation. The mission was a long-time coming for the former F-15 wing that transitioned to the DoD’s first F-35 training wing in October 2009. (U.S. Air Force photo/2nd Lt. Andrew Caulk)

Big brother

An F-16 waits for clearance as an F-15E Strike Eagle taxis in the distance at Eglin Air Force Base Fla., Jan. 18. Both aircraft belong to the 46th Test Wing. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)