- To keep an F-35A Lightning II flying and fighting, an airman has to know how to do more than 700 tasks from six different Air Force job specialty areas.
- The 421st Aircraft Maintenance Unit is the first to be made up entirely of airmen who've learned those many varied tasks: Blended Operational Lightning Technicians.
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The knowledge and skills required to maintain the F-35A Lightning II from nose to tail spans six Air Force Specialty Codes and involves proficiency in over 700 tasks.
One group of airmen at the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah are capable of all of it.
The Lightning Technician Program trains airmen to be Blended Operational Lightning Technicians in two "tracks," mission systems and air vehicle specialties. Mission systems includes: avionics, armaments, and fuels. The air vehicle track, includes: low observable, egress, and crew chiefs.
Training on different types of maintenance begins immediately for the Blended Operational Lightning Technicians in the 421st Aircraft Maintenance Unit. The unit is the first to be made up entirely of BOLT maintainers, and airmen need to learn maintenance tasks that are not part of their traditional job description.