(Right to left) U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Benjamin Bishop,

(Right to left) U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Benjamin Bishop, director of operations and Capt. Brad Mathern, test pilot, 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron are greeted by SSgt Nicholas Fagerstrom, Lightning Aircraft Maintenance Unit crew chief prior to the first operational training mission of U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II April 4, 2013, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. The 422nd TES will design the tactics for the F-35A through rigorous test flights over the Nevada Test and Training Range. (U.S. Air Force photo by Lawrence Crespo)