The US Air Force has dug up two Mr. Bones skeletons and is ready to revive the historic 95th Boneheads fighter squadron with F-35 Lightning II aircraft

The US Air Force will revive the 95th Boneheads Fighter Squadron this year, which will use the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II aircraft. It has been inactive since 2019.

Here's What We Know

In February, Colonel Chris Bergtholdt took a shovel and started digging near the old 95th Fighter Squadron building at Tyndall US Air Force Base, Florida. He dug up two plywood coffins containing skeletons named Mr. Bones. Not real, of course.

Mr. Bones were the mascots of a squadron of Boneheads. They are full-size replicas of a medical skeleton dressed in flight jackets. The first skeleton was buried at the base in 2010. Three years later, pilots acquired a second mascot. It was buried in 2019 after Hurricane Michael (Michel) destroyed part of the base.

Between 2013 and 2019, Boneheads used fifth-generation F-22A Raptor fighters. The US Air Force intends to revive the 95th Squadron this June, but pilots will switch to the F-35A Lightning II. The Boneheads will be the first formation with the F-35 Lightning II at its base. A total of three fighter squadrons with F-35 aircraft will be stationed at Tyndall. Their arrival is part of a major transformation of the military base after the storm.

The resurgent 95th Squadron will receive an experienced team of pilots previously stationed at US Air Force Base Eielson, Alaska, and Royal Air Force Base Lakenheath, UK. Boneheads will also include former F-22 Raptor pilots. Lieutenant Colonel Michael Powell, of Luke Base, Arizona, is appointed as commander.

Source: Air & Space Forces Magazine