F-35 is backbone of Air Force's future fighter fleet, Welsh says

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III (center) answers a question posed to him from a subcommittee member during a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Defense Subcommittee, on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., June 19, 2013.The subcommittee met to receive testimony on the F-35 Lightning II, joint strike fighter fiscal 2014 budget request. During the hearing, Welsh talked about the importance of the aircraft for national security and helping provide air superiority for joint operations. Along with Welsh providing testimony were: Frank Kendall, under secretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics; U.S. Navy Adm. Jonathan Greenert, chief of Naval Operations, left; Gen. John M. Paxton, Jr., assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, right; and Lt. Gen. Christopher C. Bogdan, the program executive officer for the Department of Defense's F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office. (U.S. Air Force photo/Jim Varhegyi)

F-35 is backbone of Air Force's future fighter fleet, Welsh says

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III (center) answers a question posed to him from a subcommittee member during a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Defense Subcommittee, June 19, 2013, on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.The subcommittee met to receive testimony on the F-35 Lightning II, Joint Strike Fighter fiscal 2014 budget request. During the hearing, Welsh talked about the importance of the aircraft for national security and helping provide air superiority for joint operations. (U.S. Air Force photo/Jim Varhegyi)

F-35 Lightning II

Maintainers from the 33rd Fighter Wing put the chocks on one of two new F-35A Lightning II fighters received at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., June 5, 2013. Including the Marine Corps variant of the F-35 based here, the training fleet grew to 25 F-35A and F-35B joint strike fighters. The Navy F-35C variant is slated to arrive in the coming weeks. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Nicholas Egebrecht)

F-35A first in-flight missile launch

An F-35A conventional take-off and landing aircraft completed the first in-flight missile launch of an AIM-120 over the Point Mugu Sea test range on June 5, 2013. (Courtesy F-35 Program Office)

F-35B

Marine Sgt. Robert Coates, an F-35B Lightning II maintainer, gives the thumbs up to Marine Capt. David Corkill piloting the joint strike fighter that he is cleared safe to resume his flying mission after hot refueling the aircraft. The F-35B and pilot were able to conduct a second training sortie after a quick ground refuel during the one-year anniversary of F-35B flying at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Eglin is the heart of F-35 training worldwide for the Air Force, Marines, Navy and international partner operators and maintainers of the Lightning II. U.S. Air Force photo/Maj. Karen Roganov)

KC-46A

Graphic by Corey Parrish

F-35 Lightning II

Maj. Matthew Johnston, (left) 58th Fighter Squadron, instructor pilot, shakes hands with Col.Stephen Jost, 33rd Operations Group commander upon arriving at Eglin Air Force base, Fla. with the advanced F-35 Lighting II joint strike fighter, May 6, 2013. The advanced F-35 will be utilized by all military branches at the Air Education Training Command F-35 schoolhouse to train on new systems and software on the platform.(U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nicholas Egebrecht)

F-35 Lightning II

Maj. Matthew Johnston, 58th Fighter Squadron, instructor pilot, opens the canopy of the Advanced F-35 Lighting II joint strike fighter after arriving at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., May 6, 2013. The F-35 will be used in training all military branch F-35 pilots on the new software and sensors in the aircraft.(U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nicholas Egebrecht)

F-35 Lightining II at Nellis AFB

Two Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning IIs fly over Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., prior to landing Wednesday, March 6, 2013. The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a single-seat, single-engine, fifth generation, multirole fighter that’s able to perform ground attack, reconnaissance and air defense missions with stealth capability. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Jason Couillard)

F-35 Lightining II at Nellis AFB

One of two Lockheed Martin F-35 Lighting IIs lands Wednesday, March 6, 2013, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. The aircraft, assigned to the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron, has a maximum speed of more than Mach 1.6. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Christopher Tam)

Air Force cuts aviation support to public events

(U.S. Air Force file photo)

ANG unit to test prototype

Tech. Sgt. John Kerschenheiter, an electrician with the 191st Maintenance Squadron connects wiring for a new antennae to the flight controls of a KC-135 Stratotanker at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., Jan. 30, 2013. The KC-135, assigned to the 127th Air Refueling Group of the Michigan Air National Guard, was being outfitted with the additional antennae to allow it to serve as a platform for testing a prototype of a new aircraft defense system. (U.S. Air Force photo by Brittani Baisden)