Panhandle base to begin F-35 training
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AP) – Eglin Air Force Base in the Panhandle will become the first military base to train pilots to fly the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
At a ceremony Thursday morning, base officials will officially designate the 33rd Fighter Wing as the training command for the next-generation jet fighter.
Eglin has phased out its F-15 fighter jets, which flew at the base for years. Dozens of F-35s are expected to begin arriving at the base within the next year.