A U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II flew over the Camp Shelby Air-to-Ground Range in Mississippi during a live-fire training exercise on Nov. 7, 2026. The range gives aircrews a controlled environment to practice weapons employment and assess their ability to engage designated targets.

The photo released by the 187th Fighter Wing shows an F-35 above the range at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center. The unit described the event as part of its ongoing effort to build combat readiness through live-fire training.

Why range training matters

Air-to-ground training requires pilots to manage several tasks at once: navigate to the training area, identify the assigned target, work within range procedures, and coordinate with the systems and personnel supporting the sortie. Repetition gives aircrews a way to practice those steps under realistic conditions while keeping the activity within a designated training environment.

The F-35 combines a low-observable airframe with integrated sensors and mission systems. Training flights help pilots learn how to use those tools alongside basic flying and mission planning. Range events also give maintainers and support teams practice preparing aircraft, managing the sortie schedule and returning jets to service.

A local training setting

Camp Shelby’s air-to-ground range is part of the joint training center in southern Mississippi. The range provides a dedicated area where crews can practice engaging designated targets and evaluate their performance. The Nov. 7 image release did not identify a larger exercise or provide details about the training scenario, so this report is limited to the activity described by the unit.

For the F-35 community, routine range work is one of the ways pilots translate aircraft capability into repeatable operational skills. The aircraft may attract attention for its advanced systems, but readiness still depends on crews being able to execute the fundamentals consistently.

Source

Based on the 187th Fighter Wing’s DVIDS photo release. Photo: Airman 1st Class Abigail Smith/U.S. Air National Guard via DVIDS, public domain. The appearance of U.S. Department of War visual information does not imply or constitute DoW endorsement.