• 53 WG activates F-35 Partner Support Complex

    The 53rd Wing activated the F-35 Partner Support Complex here May 11 in a ceremony at the Bayview Club.Robert Kraus assumed the new position as F-35 PSC director, making it the first civilian-led unit in the 53rd Wing. Kraus, a lieutenant colonel, served as the 68th Electronic Warfare Squadron

  • Airman selected for unique commissioning program

    An Airman's cell phone rings, but he doesn't answer because for him personal calls can wait until after work. It rings again; he lets it go to voicemail. On the third call he finally answers and is shocked to discover Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III on the line.During the call,

  • F-35A training syllabus advances ahead of IOC

    Two F-35A Lightning II aircraft assigned to the 33rd Fighter Wing here successfully employed two laser-guided bombs March 3 at a nearby range, advancing the Air Force's F-35A training syllabus ahead of its initial operational capability.The training mission was the first time the Florida-based

  • 33rd maintainers load GBU-12s onto F-35As for first time

    In the morning hours of March 3, 33rd Fighter Wing maintainers loaded four GBU-12 munitions into F-35A Lighting II aircraft for the first time, here.Airmen from the 58th Aircraft Maintenance Unit weapons section loaded the guided munitions in preparation for pilots to launch them from the F-35A

  • Rangers exercise CAS with F-35A

    Although the U.S. Air Force separated from the U.S. Army on September 18, 1947, the two forces have a long history of working together to dominate the sky and ground in combat.This tradition continues today with the 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment's recent visit here to conduct close air

  • F-35A continues deployment training

     The F-35A is at the point in its life where it's taking the first lap around the track away from home. The 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron is here to put the aircraft, its staff and equipment, through a series of operational tests to determine just how capable the aircraft is in a forward

  • First Air National Guard Airman graduates F-35 intel school

    As the F-35A Lightning II prepares to fly north in 2020, the Vermont Air National Guard sent an Airman here to become the first National Guardsman to graduate from the Joint Strike Fighter program's Intelligence Formal Training Unit.Capt. Christopher Clements, 158th Operations Support Squadron

  • F-35As deploy to test readiness

    Six F-35As arrived here, Feb. 8, from Edwards AFB, California to begin an operational deployment test at a nearby range complex. The test will help develop the concept of operations as well as validate the aircraft's capability to deploy.In order for the Air Force to declare initial operating

  • 33rd FW hosts first F-35A annual load competition

    The 33rd Fighter Wing held its first annual weapons load competition with the F-35A Lightning II here, Feb. 5, to find the best weapons load crew at the 33rd Maintenance Group.This event marks a milestone in the 33rd FW's F-35 program's progression as the first annual competition in seven years