New commander for JSF squadron

Col. Scott Cain, 412th Operations Group commander (left), and Lt. Col. Tucker Hamilton, the new commander of the 461st Flight Test Squadron, pose for a photo with the squadron’s guidon June 9 in Hangar 1830. Hamilton assumed command of the squadron, which oversees developmental testing of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. (Courtesy photo by Darin Russell/Lockheed Martin)

New commander for Joint Strike Fighter squadron

Published June 16, 2017
By Kenji Thuloweit
412th Test Wing Public Affairs

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --

Lt. Col. Tucker Hamilton assumed command of the 461st Flight Test Squadron during a change of command ceremony June 9 in Hangar 1830. Hamilton previously served as director of operations for the squadron. The 461st FLTS oversees developmental testing of all variants of the fifth-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Along with being squadron commander, Hamilton will assume the role as director of the F-35 Integrated Test Force.

Hamilton replaces Lt. Col. Raja Chari who had been commander since June 2015. Chari is one of 12 people selected for astronaut training, which was announced by NASA June 7.