An F-35A Lightning II fighter jet assigned to the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron sits on the flightline during an Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center test at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., May 21, 2020. AFOTEC tests and evaluates new warfighting capabilities in operationally realistic environments, influencing and informing national resource decisions. The 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron is a geographically separated unit of the 53rd Wing headquartered at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
 
 
 
 

Lt. Col. Brent Golden, an F-35A pilot assigned to the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES), performs preflight checks on a GBU-49 precision bomb on the flightline at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., May 21, 2020. The 422nd TES, supported by the 57th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Bolt Aircraft Maintenance Unit conducted moving target tests for the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center.
 
 
 
 

Two F-35A Lightning II fighter jets assigned to 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron prepare to taxi at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., May 21, 2020. The F-35A is designed to defeat today’s most advanced threat systems both in the air and on the ground, as well as those expected to emerge in the decades to come. AFOTEC is a direct reporting agency based at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.
 
 
 
 

Lt. Col. Brent Golden, an F-35A pilot assigned to the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron, adjusts his facemask at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., May 21, 2020. The 422nd TES operationally test all hardware and software before they are accepted by the U.S. Air Force. AFOTEC also has detachments at Edwards AFB, Calif., Peterson AFB, Colo., Eglin AFB, Fla., Kirtland AFB, N.M., as well as the detachment at Nellis.