Officials at Eglin AFB, Fla., have improved the base’s BASH—for Bird and wildlife Aircraft Strike Hazard—program, reducing strikes by almost 75 percent over the past year. The base started its renewed effort by teaming with Agriculture Department wildlife biologists to develop a comprehensive assessment that lead them to identify not only what wildlife was on hand but also why they frequented the base. One outcome was to let grass around the airfield grow longer, since cutting it shorter had made it more ideal for flocking birds.
The 301st Fighter Wing in Fort Worth, Texas, became the first standalone Reserve unit in the Air Force to get its own F-35s, welcoming the first fighter Nov. 5.