The Air Force announced Sept. 17, 2009, its criteria for selecting bases for the new F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. It plans to produce two candidate lists—one for operations and one for training—by late spring 2010, ultimately announcing the final choices in early 2011. Here, an F-35 taxis down the flight line at Eglin AFB, Fla., April 23, 2009.
US Air Force photo by SrA. Julianne Showalter