The world’s first two fifth generation fighter jets, the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II, flew together for the first time anywhere Wednesday morning.
The sortie, which lasted about an hour and a half, was part of a continued partnership between Eglin Air Force Base and Tyndall Air Force Base.
Lt. Col. Lee Kloos, commander of the 58th Fighter Squadron at the 33rd Fighter Wing, took off in his F-35A variant from Eglin first. He met up with Col. Charles Corcoran, commander with the 325th Operations Group, who flew in an F-22 Raptor from the 43rd Fighter Squadron, at Tyndall’s Compass Lake airspace north of the base.
I’ve been in the F-22 program since 2002,” Corcoran said. “I’ve seen it come a long way and make great strides, and it’s nice to see the F-35 come along. What we’re trying to do … is take the lessons learned from the F-22 and not have to relearn them in the F-35. The cross talk between the F-22 and F-35 communities is imperative.
“It’s only going to happen more and more often, and it needs to happen,” Corcoran added. “This is the future of our combat fighter force. You can’t go to war together if you don’t train together, and that’s where it’s all going to start — at Tyndall and Eglin.”
The two planes, which were tailed by an F-16, flew to Tyndall, over Panama City and then west toward Destin and Eglin.
Kloos said a regular part of training for pilots from Eglin and Tyndall is to fly to the other base for quick touchdowns and immediate takeoffs and other maneuvers.
“It’s an important part of our syllabus training here,” Kloos said. “As pilots, you want to have the option to go to another base if the weather went bad here. That is our primary divert base.”
The two jets flew within 35 feet of one another. Corcoran said there is a lot of cross talk between the two bases about improving training at both locations related to academics, simulator training, building syllabuses and other matters.
“A large part of training somebody to fly a new airplane is taking them off station, getting them a little bit out of their comfort zone,” Corcoran said. “It’s nice to have Eglin nearby to practice that, and I know it’s nice for them to have Tyndall nearby.
“It’s great to have that relationship between the two bases,” he added.
Eglin has 19 F-35s, nine Air Force A variants and 10 of the Marines' B variants, including the United Kingdom’s first jet.
Eglin is expected to receive four more F-35Bs this year, including two for the 33rd. The UK will get a second jet and The Netherlands will get its first one, said Col. Andrew Toth, commander of the 33rd.
The next F-35As are not expected to arrive until next spring, Toth said
The sortie, which lasted about an hour and a half, was part of a continued partnership between Eglin Air Force Base and Tyndall Air Force Base.
I’ve been in the F-22 program since 2002,” Corcoran said. “I’ve seen it come a long way and make great strides, and it’s nice to see the F-35 come along. What we’re trying to do … is take the lessons learned from the F-22 and not have to relearn them in the F-35. The cross talk between the F-22 and F-35 communities is imperative.
“It’s only going to happen more and more often, and it needs to happen,” Corcoran added. “This is the future of our combat fighter force. You can’t go to war together if you don’t train together, and that’s where it’s all going to start — at Tyndall and Eglin.”
The two planes, which were tailed by an F-16, flew to Tyndall, over Panama City and then west toward Destin and Eglin.
Kloos said a regular part of training for pilots from Eglin and Tyndall is to fly to the other base for quick touchdowns and immediate takeoffs and other maneuvers.
“It’s an important part of our syllabus training here,” Kloos said. “As pilots, you want to have the option to go to another base if the weather went bad here. That is our primary divert base.”
The two jets flew within 35 feet of one another. Corcoran said there is a lot of cross talk between the two bases about improving training at both locations related to academics, simulator training, building syllabuses and other matters.
“A large part of training somebody to fly a new airplane is taking them off station, getting them a little bit out of their comfort zone,” Corcoran said. “It’s nice to have Eglin nearby to practice that, and I know it’s nice for them to have Tyndall nearby.
“It’s great to have that relationship between the two bases,” he added.
Eglin has 19 F-35s, nine Air Force A variants and 10 of the Marines' B variants, including the United Kingdom’s first jet.
Eglin is expected to receive four more F-35Bs this year, including two for the 33rd. The UK will get a second jet and The Netherlands will get its first one, said Col. Andrew Toth, commander of the 33rd.
The next F-35As are not expected to arrive until next spring, Toth said
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