Eglin to get 17 F-35s this year

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. -- Eglin Air Force Base is scheduled to get another 17 F-35 jets this year, according to a Lockheed Martin official. Stephen O’Bryan, vice president of Lockheed’s F-35 program integration, provided the local media with an update of the program Wednesday. Eglin, where pilots and maintainers from all branches of the military will be trained, already has nine of the jets, three of them are the Marine Corps' F-35B and the other six Air Force F-35As. The jets to arrive this year will include the first Navy version, the F-35C. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 02/01/12)