Maj. John Caldwell, of the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron, was recently awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his combat aviation efforts in Afghanistan in 2011. Established by Congress on July 2, 1926, More
1st Lt. Conner Thigpen, 20th Space Control Squadron crew commander, receives his new blue name tapes after joining the U.S. Space Force during a swearing in ceremony Sept. 3. More than 30 officers and enlisted More
Maj. Justin Elliott, 40th Flight Test Squadron F-15 flight commander, prepares to deplane after he piloted the first F-15 equipped with the Advanced Display Core Processor II July 8 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla More
DoD's first production F-35B Lightning II joint strike fighter soars over Destin, Fla., on its way to its new home at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The Marine variant of the JSF belongs to Marine Fighter Attack Sq More
A 33rd Fighter Wing maintainer watches as the first F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter taxis in to its new home at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., July 14.
F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter crew chief, Tech. Sgt. Brian West, watches his aircraft approach for the first time at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., July 14. Aircraft 0747 is DOD's newest aircraft.
The first Department of Defense F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter soars over the Northwest Florida airspace before landing at its new home at Eglin Air Force Base, July 14. Its pilot, Lt. Col. Eric Smith o More
Staff Sgt. Michael Sanders, of the 58th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron checks out the first F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The first JSF arrival also marked Sanders first ti More
Lt. Col. Eric Smith, operations director for the 58th Fighter Squadron, is the first Air Force pilot certified to fly the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter. He delivered the first aircraft to Eglin Air For More
Marine Maj. Joseph Bachmann, of the 33rd Operations Group, relaxes with 33rd Fighter Wing leadership as maintainers secure the newest F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter to arrive at Eglin Air Force Base, Fl More
Senior Airmen Brittany Caruso and Shane Goss rock out during a Sonic Cell practice session on Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The four-person alternative rock band is made up of enlisted airmen from the 96th Air Base Wing.
A dragonfly lands on top of the M16 of an airman participating in the Phase II exercise, Aug. 10, at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Dragonflies swarmed around the readiness exercise area throughout the day. Eglin E More
The first F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter to arrive to the 33rd Fighter Wing was on display during the aircraft's official rollout ceremony Aug. 26 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
A cloud of heat and smoke erupts from the wreckage after a 1,500 pound explosive detonated, Sept. 27, on the Eglin Air Force Base range. The controlled explosion was to set a scene for the FBI's large vehicle b More
A member of the Army's Black Daggers demonstration team passes by 7th Special Forces Group's headquarters flag on his way to the parade field at the beginning of the group's open house and ribbon cutting, Oct. More
Maj. Joseph Bachmann shakes hands with his plane captain Gunnery Sgt. Matthew Smith, of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 501, after bringing the first Marine F-35B Lightning II joint strike fighter to its new hom More
Drum Major Gunnery Sgt. Victor Miranda stands by the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Band during the Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 change of command ceremony, Feb. 3 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The ban More
A drummer with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing band performs at the Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II roll out ceremony, Feb. 24, at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
Lt. Col. Eric Smith, the 58th Fighter Squadron director of operations, secures his helmet for testing prior to stepping to the F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighter for its first-ever training sortie March 6 More
A CV-22 Osprey, flown by the 8th Special Operations Squadron, hangs in the anechoic chamber at the Joint Preflight Integration of Munitions and Electronic Systems hangar, March 6, at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. More
Col. Michael Gough, left, the Marine Aircraft Group 13 commanding officer, listens as Sgt. William Luhrsen, a F-35B Lightning II airframes mechanic and low observation technician, explains some of the new compo More
Tech. Sgt. Paul Ruhbusch, of the 96th Security Forces Squadron, scans the area during a targeting acquisition scenario at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The exercise, along with an improvised explosive device dete More
F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 40th Flight Test Squadron and 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron fly over the Emerald Coast, Dec. 6, on a design-try-out mission for a new operational flight program software upgra More
Wesley Barnes (far right) stares down Dan Martinez as their mixed martial arts bout begins at the Strike Fight event Dec. 8 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Barnes won a unanimous decision over Martinez in one of More
Maj. Olivia Elliott, of the 40th Flight Test Squadron, examines the LITENING II advanced targeting pod mounted on her A-10 Thunderbolt II prior to a test mission Jan. 10, at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Her missi More
Lt. Col. Benjamin Bishop, the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron director of operations, walks toward an F-35A Lightning II at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., March 6 for his first sortie in the new aircraft. Bisho More
United Kingdom Royal Air Force Squadron Leader Frankie Buchler, became the first international student-pilot to fly a sortie in the F-35B Lightning II March 19 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (U.S. Air Force phot More
The 40th Flight Test Squadron completed another first in February when an A-10 Thunderbolt II fired a guided rocket that impacted only inches away from its intended target. The 2.75 diameter, 35-pound, laser-gu More
Doolittle Raiders, Col. Dick Cole, Lt. Col. Ed Saylor and Staff Sgt. David Thatcher, were on hand at the 33rd Fighter Wing hangar dedication in honor of Saylor April 17, at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. After unve More
Thirty mm ammunition rounds are loaded into the mobile, hand-cranked linker to be connected with MK-15 links for use on Air Force Special Operations Command C-130 aircraft. The linker was created by the Munitio More
Staff Sgt. Danielle Keister, of the 460th Security Forces Squadron from Buckley Air Force Base, Colo., serves as the watch keeper, passing information via a secure phone during a Joint Defense Operations Center More
Eglin Air Force Base firefighters move toward a 33rd Fighter Wing F-35 Lightning II during a major accident response exercise May 9. This was the first MARE involving the Air Force’s newest fighter aircraft at More
A warhead sits ready to launch prior to the 2,000th sled test shot earlier this year at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Eglin’s sled track is part of the 96th Test Wing’s Kinetic Energy Munitions Test Facility at th More
The Maldonado family traveled from around the world for Senior Master Sgt. David Maldonado's retirement from Det. 1, 552nd Air Control Squadron, June 7, 2013, at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. It's the first time t More
Capt. Danielle Dufresne, a physician with the 96th Medical Operations Squadron, stands with a Quechuan woman outside one of the clinics. Dufresne was one of 14 military medical specialists on a mission trip cal More
Navy Lt. Cdr. Anthony Scott reenlists his twin brother Master Sgt. Antone Scott, 96th Logistics Readiness Squadron, for his fifth enlistment into the Air Force June 27 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Due to their More
Staff Sgts. Anthony and Larrilyn Darif, with the 96th Medical Group, found out June 27 they were selected for promotion to technical sergeant.The 12-year veterans and high school sweethearts were married prior More
A soldier with the 877th Engineering Battalion from Alabama National Guard digs up the ground with an excavator along Range Road 220 July 22 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The Army unit deployed to Eglin for eig More
An Army UH-60 Black Hawk from the Aviation Applied Technology Directorate at Fort Eustis, Va., performs a flyby Aug. 6 while acoustic equipment on the ground records each sound it makes during the pass on the E More
A Marine F-35B Lightning II returns to the Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., runway Aug. 14. To date, the Air Force, Marine Corps and the Navy have flown more than 2,000 sorties here. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)
Lt. Cmdr. Chris Tabert walks to the flight line to pilot the first F-35C Lightning II flight at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Aug. 14. Before arriving to U.S. Navy F-35 Strike Fighter Squadron VFA 101 in February More
All three F-35 Lightning II variants along with two F/A-18 Hornets line up at the end of the runway prior to take off Aug. 14 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. This was the first time all three had been in the air More
An A-10C Thunderbolt II from the 40th Flight Test Squadron, moves down the runway at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The aircraft is loaded up with weaponry to test the combat carriage limits of the Sargent Fletcher More
Sailors and Lockheed Martin personnel move in to chock the wheels of a Navy variant F-35C Lightning II after a sortie at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The sailors from the Strike Fighter Squadron-101, along with a More
Sailors from Strike Fighter Squadron-101, refuel an F/A-18 Hornet during a hot pit session on the 33rd Fighter Wing flightline at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Airmen, Marines and sailors are refueling their F-35 More
Staff Sgt. Steven Dash, of the 33rd Maintenance Group, places a warhead on the front of a guided-bomb-unit 12 before it’s attached to an F-35A Lightning II Aug. 27 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. This marked the More
Helmets and gear of the Eglin Air Force Base fire department are aligned in rows prior to their mission Sept. 11. Fire department airmen and civilians ascended the 11-story air traffic control tower carrying ri More
A military member hustles through a wooded area during the Fallen Defender Ruck March Sept. 11 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. More than 200 military members and civilians came out to walk or run the four-mile tr More
Humvees carrying airmen from the 96th Ground Combat Training Squadron roll in during a demonstration exercise Oct. 16 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Approximately 1,500 active duty, reserve and National Guard ai More
Fitness expert Tony Horton gets Airmen warmed up with some stretches before a 90-minute workout session at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Oct. 16. The workout was part of Horton's day-long visit at Eglin. Horton a More
A Marine F-35B joint strike fighter makes an approach to the runway during the first short take-off and vertical landing mission at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Oct. 25. The milestone training mission was flown More
An F-15 from the 40th Flight Test Squadron takes off for a training sortie from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The 40th FTS is responsible for developmental flight testing for F-15s, F-16s and A-10s for the 96th T More
A row of Airmen prepare to enter the riding course during an ATV training class Oct. 25 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Approximately 20 Airmen from the 96th Security Forces Squadron and the 96th Ground Combat T More
A giant solar halo covered the sky over Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., in the early afternoon Nov. 12. The optical phenomenon is caused by ice crystals in the atmosphere. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)
Members of the Crestview Police Department SWAT advance toward a simulated victim at the Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal building during an active shooter exercise on Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Dec. 3 More
An A-10 Thunderbolt II, from the 40th Flight Test Squadron, fires the GAU-8 30mm cannon during a training mission on the Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., range Dec. 10. The pilot made multiple passes to fire the wea More
Maj. Laurens Vijge, a Royal Netherlands Air Force pilot, gets fit tested for his helmet mounted display for the F-35A Lightning II Dec. 11 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. On Dec. 18, Vijge became the first RNLAF More
Lockheed Martin maintainers complete preflight checks on the Royal Netherlands Air Force F-35A Lightning II prior to a sortie at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The RNLAF completed their first joint strike fighter f More
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III speaks to an airman in the audience during an All Call at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Jan. 27. Welsh, along with his wife, Betty, spent two days meeting Eglin air More
The aircrew from Eglin’s 413th Flight Test Squadron readies the newly created AC-130J Ghostrider for its first official sortie Jan. 31 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The Air Force Special Operations Command MC-1 More
A 96th Security Forces Squadron airman points his weapon toward scene of an active-shooter exercise at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Feb. 4. The active-shooter was the second of a series of 96th Test Wing exercis More
Airman 1st Class Quionjay Jackson, of the 96th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Blue, loosens a bolt on an F-16 Fighting Falcon in preparation to load a Guided Bomb Unit-12 during the annual weapons load crew of t More
An F-15 from the 366th Fighter Wing streaks through the skies on a weapon system evaluation sortie, Feb. 18. The F-15 from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, participated in the week-long mission known as Com More
Airman 1st Class Paul Hoogewind, of the 355th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, prepares to marshal out his A-10 for a Weapon System Evaluation Program sortie at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Feb. 19. The A-10s from More
Airman 1st Class Andrew McCamish, a maintainer with the 355th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, verifies the status of an A-10 Thunderbolt II via a laptop prior to a morning Weapon System Evaluation Program sortie More
Master Sgt. Donald Price, of the 33rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, briefs Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James on local tool innovations created to help maintainers work on the F-35A Lightning II Feb. More
Heat pulses off the flightline as Royal Air Force pilot, Squadron Leader Hugh Nichols, taxis a Marine F-35B Lightning II toward the runway for the first short take-off and vertical landing sortie by a United Ki More
A 33rd Fighter Wing maintainer performs post flight checks on an F-35A Lightning II after a sortie at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)
A Height Finding Radar sits idly on the range as the sun is rising March 11 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The radar is one of many devices used for seeker/sensor testing during Sensor Week March 3 -14. Sensor W More
Don Falk, a Raytheon employee, checks the FIM-92 Stingers to be used during missile testing March 14 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Stinger Based Systems, a division of the Army’s cruise missile defense system u More
Staff Sgt. Joseph Riello, of the 902nd Security Forces Squadron from Randolph AFB, Texas, serves as the watch keeper, during a Joint Defense Operations Center exercise at Eglin AFB, Fla., March 21. The exercise More
Staff Sgt. Mark Freeman, 33rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, performs a post-flight check on an F-35A Lightning II tire before refueling it at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. All of the F-35 variants use the refueli More
Staff Sgt. Mark Freeman, 33rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, touches the 58th Fighter Squadron logo on the side of an F-35A Lightning II during hot pit refueling at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. All of the F-35 v More
Airman 1st Class Romario Martin, of the 325th Logistics Readiness Squadron, trains on the Hyster lifter at the 96th Logistics Readiness Squadron’s supply warehouse May 15 on Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Martin i More
Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Zastrow, of the 96th Medical Group, lifts weights as part of his training regime for the Air Force wrestling team May 16 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The 33-year-old bioenvironmental enginee More
A Navy F-35C, a Marine Corps F-35B, and an Air Force F-35A Lightning II participate in a training sortie together May 21, near Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. All three variants of the fifth generation multirole ste More
Staff Sgt. Patric Thompson, of the 96th Communications Squadron’s voice network systems, troubleshoots one of more than 18,000 of the base’s telephone lines June 6 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The 22 Airmen a More
Kevin Dennis, a computer engineer with the Network Operations, troubleshoots the wiring on the 96th Communications Squadron’s data center equipment at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., June 9. Approximately 40 Airme More
Maj. Gen. Scott Jansson, the Armament Directorate program executive officer, salutes as the Secretary of Defense arrives to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., July 9. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel visited the base to More
Kathy Hostage, wife of Gen. Michael Hostage, commander of Air Combat Command, meets with ladies from the Air Force Enlisted Village in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., Aug. 18. Hostage accompanied her husband on his tr More
Henry Isaacs, 96th Logistics Readiness Squadron, prepares to paint the roof of a truck Aug. 20 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Repainting vehicle parts highly affected by the sun and weather is part of 96th LRS’s More
Staff Sgt. Brian Westgate, 96th Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal robotics technician, secures a small tractor, the “ASV Posi-Trak MD-70,” to the trailer of a five-ton truck Sept. 9. His team More
Soldiers from the 6th Ranger Training Battalion, paddle down the Yellow River enroute to a memorial on Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., for the four fallen Rangers who lost their lives Feb. 16, 1995. More than 40 So More
An F-35A Lightning II pilot turns his aircraft along the yellow taxi line on the 33rd Fighter Wing flightline at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)
Senior Airman Herbert Tucker, 33rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, checks his six before marshaling out a refueled F-35A Lightning II at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. All of the F-35 variants use the refueling area More
Senior Airman Herbert Tucker, 33rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, marshals in an F-35A Lightning II for a hot pit refueling session at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. All of the F-35 variants use the refueling areas More
Staff Sgt. Jason Schuler, 33rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, connects the fuel nozzle to an F-35A Lightning II during a hot pit session at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. All of the F-35 variants use the refueling More
Maj. Gen. Jay Silveria, U. S. Air Force Warfare Center commander, has a laugh with Airman 1st Class John Patterson, 33rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, after completing his final qualifying flight in the F-35A More
A 40th Flight Test Squadron F-15 Eagle connects with the barrier engagement on Duke Field’s runway Oct. 23. The engagement was part of a routine test of the system. The 40th FTS Airmen fly operational test miss More
A 40th Flight Test Squadron F-15 Eagle waits to be unhooked from the barrier engagement on Duke Field’s runway. The engagement was part of a routine test of the system. The 40th FTS Airmen fly operational test More
Maj. Christopher Wee, Operation Flight Program Combined Test Force, settles into his F-15 Eagle prior to a morning sortie at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The OFPCTF Airmen fly test missions exclusively in various More
Maj. Christopher Wee, Operation Flight Program Combined Test Force, secures his helmet in his F-15 Eagle prior to a morning sortie at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The OFPCTF Airmen fly test missions exclusively i More
An 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron F-16 Fighting Falcon lifts off from the Eglin Air Force Base runway for a morning sortie. The 85th TES Airmen fly operational test missions in the F-16 and F-15. The 85th TE More
A 40th Flight Test Squadron F-15 soars up upon takeoff from the Eglin Air Force Base runway for a morning sortie. The 40th FTS Airmen fly operational test missions in the F-16, F-15 and A-10. The 40th FTS is a More
A 53rd Wing F-15 Eagle takes off from one of Eglin Air Force Base’s runways as a 33rd Fighter Wing F-35 Lightning II taxies onto another. The F-15 is used for operational test missions while the F-35 is used to More
A 40th Flight Test Squadron F-16 Fighting Falcon sits in the anechoic chamber after completion of the initial round of testing simulations on the new M-7 software upgrade Oct. 30 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. More
A 433rd Airlift Wing C-5 Galaxy from Joint Base San Antonio arrives with passengers and equipment to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Nov. 14. The reserve aircrew brought home Soldiers and equipment from the Army’s 7 More
New honor guard members stand with their rifles prior to their graduation performance of a full military honors funeral Dec. 3 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Approximately 12 new Airmen graduated from the 80-pl More