Since January 2011, F-16 pilots and maintainers from Luke AFB, Arizona, have been deployed to Eglin AFB, Florida, to help the 33rd Fighter Wing initiate operations with the F-35 Lightning II. The rotation of four F-16s and about forty maintainers from Luke will continue through March 2013. The Luke mission at Eglin is to support just-in-time training for the initial F-35 cadre. This training allows pilots to qualify and maintain proficiency in a fighter aircraft before and during their transition to the F-35. Additionally, the Luke F-16 pilots perform safety chase duties locally and for F-35 ferry flights from the Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth, Texas. More than 360 Luke Airman have supported this mission on sixty-to-ninety day rotations.
