Two years after the first F-35A weapons load crews were certified, Air Education and Training Command dropped the first two live bombs from the fifth generation aircraft over the range at Eglin AFB, Fla. The 33rd Fighter Wing loaded the GBU-12s aboard six F-35s, dropping two over the Eglin range, states the release. “This further proves our airmen and sailors are the lethality behind this weapons systems,” said Col. Lance Pilch, the 33rd FW commander, in a Jan. 21 release.
The Air Force still needs more than 300 combat squadrons, but the biggest priority is not number of squadrons but capability, Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. said Sept. 22. He also suggested the records set by the Next Generation Air Dominance prototype likely have more to do…