When the United States Reprogramming Laboratory was established here nearly five years ago, the then-squadron commander made it clear why the lab was important to the F-35.
“Without mission data, the F-35 is a very pretty, and some would say very loud, aircraft,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Tim Welde, 513th Electronic Warfare Squadron (EWS) commander. “With mission data, the F-35 is pure lethality.”
Call it the brains behind the brawn.
Now, Eglin is scheduled to get two more of the multimillion-dollar labs beginning this year, both catering to the needs of U.S. allies. Add to that the fact that Eglin is where F-35 pilots and maintainers from all U.S. branches and foreign nations are trained and it’s clear Eglin is the epicenter for activities that put the fight in the F-35. Read more
Source: Pensacola Today
