Oct. 4, 2021 F-35A completes milestone 5th Gen fighter test with refurbished B61-12 nuclear gravity bombs Two F-35A Lightning II aircraft recently released B61-12 Joint Test Assemblies (JTAs) during the F-35A’s first Full Weapon System Demonstration with the B61-12, completing the final flight test exercise of the nuclear design certification process.
Oct. 1, 2021 53d Test Management Group now the 753d Test and Evaluation Group The 753d Test and Evaluation Group is activated at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, Oct. 1, 2021 following the inactivation of the 53d Test Management Group. This transition from a "test management" to "test and evaluation" organization is in recognition of the group's active mission of combined test
Sept. 24, 2021 Pilot proving grounds; WSEP puts aviators, maintenance, air crew to the test The 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, recently hosted the Weapons System Evaluation Program East 21.12, Sept. 13-24, 2021. The exercise focused on providing maintainers and pilots with the unique experience of using live munitions to enhance readiness for real-world
Sept. 9, 2021 53rd Wing WSEP incorporates NucWSEP, enhances readiness for real world operations The 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group hosted air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons system evaluations at Hill Air Force Base from Aug. 16-27, 2021. The Weapons System Evaluation Program tests maintenance, aircrew, and weapons Airmen by evaluating the reliability and maintainability of aircraft weapons
Sept. 3, 2021 ACC Commander completes F-15EX Eagle II qualification U.S. Air Force Gen. Mark Kelly, commander of Air Combat Command, flew the F-15EX Eagle II for the first time on September 1, 2021.
Sept. 1, 2021 F-15E completes first successful Maritime JDAM test Three F-15E Strike Eagles from the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron supported a test as part of the QUICKSINK Joint Capability Technology Demonstration on Aug. 26, 2021.
Aug. 27, 2021 Test milestones reached at Northern Lightning F-16s from the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron and Operational Flight Program Combined Test Force returned to Eglin AFB August 20, 2021, after completing a successful capstone exercise in Wisconsin. The two squadrons worked hand-in-hand during Northern Lightning 2021 where the team introduced the
Aug. 19, 2021 86th FWS Analyst Team recognized for providing essential battlespace data Every year the 86th Fighter Weapons Squadron Analyst Team prepares an annual brief that is submitted to the highest levels and presented at the Weapons and Tactics Conference. Their brief consists of a culmination of data that informs how weapon systems are performing, that in turn defines the
Aug. 13, 2021 85 TES F-15C fires first IRST-cued AMRAAM The 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron conducted the first-ever live fire of an Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile from an F-15C Eagle using an Infrared Search-and-Track system, successfully shooting a QF-16 aerial target, Aug. 5, 2021.
Aug. 12, 2021 49 TES, SBIR contractors connect B-52 to Iridium Satellite constellation The 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron partnered with Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contractors to improve the communication capabilities in the B-52 Stratofortress. This event culminated in a June 29, 2021 demonstration that connected the B-52 to the International Marine/Maritime