Eglin AFB to begin F-35 training

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AP) - Eglin Air Force Base in the Panhandle will become the first military base to train pilots to fly the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

At a ceremony Thursday morning, base officials will officially designate the 33rd Fighter Wing as the training command for the next-generation jet fighter.

Eglin has phased out its F-15 fighter jets, but not all F-15s, which flew at the base for years. Dozens of F-35s are expected to begin arriving at the base within the next year.