Monday, July 23, 2012

UK F-35 now at Eglin

UK F-35 leaves Texas
Lockheed Martin photo
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – The first international F-35 arrived at Eglin Air Force Base this morning. It's now with the Marine Strike Fighter Training Squadron 501 at the 33rd Fighter Wing. ZM135, an F-35B piloted by Royal Air Force Squadron Leader Jim Schofield, took off from Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base in Texas for the 90-minute flight to Eglin. The F-35B combines short take off and vertical landing technology with supersonic speed and stealth, and also will be flown by the U.S. Marine Corps. The F-35B pairs a Pratt and Whitney F135 engine and the Rolls-Royce LiftSystem. The UK was the first of eight international partners to join the F-35 program and plans to acquire the F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing aircraft. (Source: GCAC, 07/23/12) Lockheed Martin release; Previous