Editor’s Note: The Lightning II’s march toward IOC continues, Fightersweep Fans. The schoolhouse at Eglin is advancing its training syllabus for weapons employment, and two F-35As from the resident 33rd Fighter Wing validated it by dropping laser-guided GBU-12s at one of the ranges nearby.
Two F-35A Lightning II aircraft assigned to the 33rd Fighter Wing here successfully employed two laser-guided bombs Thursday morning at a nearby range, advancing the Air Force’s F-35A training syllabus ahead of F-35A Initial Operational Capability.
The training mission was the first time the Florida-based fifth-generation fighters used actual munitions instead of simulated weapons. The mission follows on the heels of the recent employment of weapons by combat-coded F-35A aircraft from the 388th Fighter Wing at the Utah Test and Training Range last week.
Capt. Brian Burgoon, 58th Fighter Squadron weapons chief, was one of two pilots who employed the GBU-12s at Shelby Range Complex.
An Eglin Air Force Base F-35A Lightning II receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to MacDill AFB approximately 100 miles off the Gulf Coast March 2, 2016, following the 58th Fighter Squadron’s first successful munition employment at a nearby range. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Capt. Hope R. Cronin)
“Things are moving swiftly for all aspects of the F-35 program at this point,” said Burgoon. “This mission verified a critical component of our syllabus. Being able to employ weapons within our training units ensures we can provide our student pilots the most comprehensive training available before they go out to support a combat-coded F-35A unit.”
The 33rd FW aircraft required a series of physical and software modifications to enable weapon employment as the majority of aircraft here were produced during earlier production phases. The weapons drop was originally scheduled for late spring of this year, but innovation and persistence from 33rd FW pilots and maintainers allowed for an earlier launch of the munitions.
“We’re reaching the end of our development phase,” said Lt. Col. Scott Gunn, 58th FS Director of Operations, in reference to the USAF’s IOC goal in late 2016. “As the F-35[A] program gains further momentum we need to be ready to provide combat-capable students. Dropping bombs is part of that combat requirement.”
The original article in its entirety can be viewed on DVIDS right here.
(Featured photo by Master Sgt. John R. Nimmo, Sr./RELEASED)