33 FW executes training at MacDill Published March 16, 2026 By Senior Airman Briana Beavers 33rd Fighter Wing Public Affairs MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The 33rd Fighter Wing traveled to MacDill Air Force Base, Florida to accomplish routine training for Operation Clear Horizon and Operation Buc Wild Weasel from Jan. 22 – Feb. 21, 2026. MacDill’s airspace provided the 58th and 60th Fighter Squadrons, along with their Aircraft Maintenance Units, with an opportunity to execute flying-training missions while mitigating sortie attrition due to unfavorable weather at home station. “The main objective for us is to upgrade our student pilots while avoiding weather attrition,” said Maj. Kyle Mahan, 60th FS F-35A Lightning II pilot. “Additionally, we’re focusing on off-station proficiency. So, training here allows us to accomplish all of our sorties so we can produce high quality F-35 pilots and keep ourselves on timeline.” That timeline includes roughly 6,000 sorties a year with about 90 student pilot graduates. To meet those timelines, both squadrons focused on developing the skills of student pilots that are critical to the F-35 primary mission. “We have instructor pilot upgrade students, basic course, and transition course pilots that are practicing basic fighter maneuvers, air combat maneuvering, and tactical intercepts,” Mahan said. For ops to maintain high-tempo operations, both the 58th and 60th AMU worked together to establish a rhythm and tested their ability to perform with limited resources. “Essentially our support sections got together and discussed how we were going to create an inventory of tools and share them with the 60th AMU,” said Master Sgt. Albert Thibodaux, 58th AMU production superintendent. “Once that was accomplished, we coordinated with the 96th Logistics Readiness Squadron to have the tools shipped.” Although the units worked with less, this approach proved to be cost-efficient. “Similar to previous TDYs, bringing both squadrons to the same location is saving the wing tens of thousands in cargo cost,” said Thibodaux. “The 58th brought the equipment to MacDill, and the 60th will be responsible for taking it back.” The maintenance teams faced constraints not only in tools but also in personnel. “Having different AFSCs do the main mission of launch, inspect, and recover aircraft is the direction that the Air Force is going,” Thibodaux said. “We can incorporate agile combat employment and mission ready airmen concepts by having folks from avionics, fuels, and weapons train on basic flying operations.” ACE and MRA concepts are designed to combat strategic competitors. By mobilizing assets in austere locations, targeting becomes more difficult for adversaries. “We train in a DDF, or deployable duty facility, and practice working similar to the ACE concept that developed out in the Pacific,” said Mahan. “We’re training from a remote location rather than our fancy building on base, which helps us improve our overall abilities." During their time at MacDill AFB, the 33 FW conducted 310 effective sorties and flew over 443 hours leading to a significant improvement in the wing’s off-station proficiency.