Members of the French air force visited RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall, Britain, to strengthen relations with their US counterparts and learn from one another, according to a Lakenheath release. During the Oct. 2-4 visit, the French airmen attended briefings and meetings and received hands-on demonstrations in an F-15E simulator, according to the Oct. 15 release. “It was a great exchange,” said Maj. Lee Stanford of Lakenheath’s 48th Operations Support Squadron. “We haven’t really gotten the chance to fly with them or practice together, but this is a great step toward progress,” he said. “We learned how powerful the F-15[E] really is,” said French air force Maj. De France Christophe. “We spoke with pilots and weapons systems officers who explained to us how they work with their aircraft, and we explained how we work with ours.” (Lakenheath report by A1C Nigel Sandridge)
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.