One Tough Little Egg

LOCATED IN THECITYOFSURPRISE

Learn more at surpriseaz.gov/veterans The West Valley Veterans Success Center is located in City of Surprise Resource Center on the AZ TechCelerator campus, 12425 W. Bell Road, Suite 124. It is a hub for connecting military and veterans to services and benefits, offering a full-time AmeriCorps member specializing in veteran benefits navigation services and a part-time Be Connected Navigator that works to provide connection to veteran supportive resources across Arizona.

Services are offered in partnership with the Arizona Coalition for Military Families, Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services, Northern Arizona University, Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation, and Rio Salado Community College.

FREE Dental Day for Veterans

Friday, April 1, 2022 | 8:00 am – 2:00 pm

Midwestern University dentists and students will provide free dental services for U.S. military veterans who are unable to afford care. Services may include exams, cleanings, x-rays, fillings, crowns, extractions, or implant consultations. Please bring a copy of your Arizona driver license with veteran designation, DD214, or other discharge document.

For details and to register, visit www.midwestern.edu/veteransdentalday or call 623-806-7150.

PLEASE NOTE: All participants must wear masks while on campus and complete a pre-event health questionnaire. Depending on possible changes in COVID-19 protocols, this event could change.

5855 West Utopia Road Glendale, AZ 85308

(59th Avenue and Loop 101) 623-537-6000 | www.mwuclinics.com

Pushing Boundaries

63rd Fighter Squadron trains F-35 pilots with forward armament refueling point

Two F-35A Lightning IIs assigned to the 63rd Fighter Squadron refuel as they pass through a forward armament refueling point (FARP) before departing from an undisclosed location December 9, 2021. Student-pilots from the 63rd Fighter Squadron recently completed a mission designed to demonstrate the U.S. Air Force’s ability to quickly compose force packages from any operational environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Ryan Waters)

BY 2ND LT. CAMERON GREER

56 Fighter Wing Public Affairs

The ability to respond to a threat at any time, from anywhere in the world, is a cornerstone of U.S. air dominance. Student-pilots from the 63rd Fighter Squadron recently completed a mission designed to demonstrate this ability, and to push the boundaries of F-35A Lightning II pilot training.

The mission marked a shift in how 63rd FS pilots are trained, and confirmed the U.S. Air Force’s ability to quickly compose force packages from any operational environment, no matter how austere.

Planners designed the mission to test how students perform during full-spectrum, complex mission execution, says Lt. Col. Jason Curtis, 63rd Fighter Squadron commander.

“The goal of the mission was to survive in a contested environment and gain access to a forward armament refueling point,” he says.

A forward armament refueling point, or FARP, is a strategic location at which aircraft can quickly refuel, re-arm and return to combat with minimal infrastructure or manpower requirements.

“What makes this mission unique is the challenge of integrating both high-altitude and low-altitude tactics to destroy and survive advanced air threats and surface to air threats,” Curtis says.

During the planning process, Curtis, along with 56th Fighter Wing leadership, leveraged information and expertise from Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC) Detachment 6 based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

“Understanding how well the F-35 performs in accessing a forward armament refueling point is a previously unexplored component of analyzing how well the aircraft can perform in theater,” says Col. Dan Javorsek,