F-35As leave Texas to begin operational testing

AF-1 (rear) and AF-2, F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighters, complete a test flight May 11, 2010, from the Lockheed plant in Fort Worth, Texas, in preparation for the nonstop flight May 17 to Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to begin extended flight test operations. Air Force test pilot Lt. Col. Hank Griffiths and Lockheed Martin chief test pilot Jon Beesley flew the jets nonstop in the first multi-ship, long-range F-35 flight. (Courtesy photo/David Drais AF 1, one of two F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighters flying nonstop to Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., departed its final-assembly site in Fort Worth, Texas, May 17, 2010. As part of the F-35 flight test operations expansion, the jets will undergo ground- and flight-test activities for propulsion, aerial refueling, logistical support, weapons integration and flight-envelope expansion. The arrival is the first in a series that will increase the Edwards AFB F-35 test fleet to at least eight aircraft. (Courtesy photo/Angel DelCueto)