F-35A Lightning II Fighter To Begin Initial Operations

The Aeronautical Systems Center issued a Military Flight Release today allowing the F-35A Lightning II fighter to begin initial operations at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, U.S. The announcement comes after an airworthiness board conducted an assessment that evaluated potential risks and the corresponding mitigation actions to conduct unmonitored flights. "The Air Force, Joint Strike Fighter Program Office and other stakeholders have painstakingly followed established risk acceptance and mitigation processes to ensure the F-35A is ready," said Gen. Donald Hoffman, the commander of Air Force Materiel Command, the parent organization of ASC. The initial F-35A flights will be limited, scripted, conducted within the restrictions and stipulations of the MFR and flown by qualified pilots, officials said.