Lightning Strikes Twice: Two F-35s Arrive at Eglin Air Force Base

Two Lockheed Martin F-35As, AF-10 and AF-11, along with two F-16 chase aircraft, are poised for takeoff to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Wednesday morning. They officially arrived at the base at 1:19 p.m. CDT today. On Friday, the F-35 Joint Program Office authorized a return to flight operations for F-35 production aircraft. AF-10 and AF-11 completed the 90-minute flight marking the ninth and tenth F-35 contractual deliveries of 2011. The pair of conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) jets will be used for training pilots and maintainers at the new F-35 Integrated Training Center there.