{"id":20075,"date":"2020-10-21T21:46:30","date_gmt":"2020-10-21T21:46:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/10\/21\/arctic-survival-eielson-f-35s-get-new-kits-for-ejected-pilots\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:28:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:28:49","slug":"arctic-survival-eielson-f-35s-get-new-kits-for-ejected-pilots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/10\/21\/arctic-survival-eielson-f-35s-get-new-kits-for-ejected-pilots\/","title":{"rendered":"Arctic survival: Eielson F-35s get new kits for ejected pilots"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

F-35A fighters<\/a> at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska<\/a> are getting newly developed Arctic survival kits to help pilots survive and be found after ejecting in the cold climate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new kits, which are now being installed in Eielson\u2019s F-35s<\/a>, contain winter-geared survival tools and equipment, such as a knife for gathering food, a poncho and signal flares to alert rescue teams, Eielson said in a Friday release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The base\u2019s F-35s are the first in the Air Force to be stationed in the Arctic, which prompted the base\u2019s 354th Fighter Wing to create the new kits last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But they also had to be tailor-made for the F-35\u2032s smaller seat size, which limited how many items could be packed in there, Staff Sgt. Ross Dugger, an aircrew flight equipment craftsman from the 354th Operations Support Squadron, said in the release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Staff Sgt. Ross Dugger, a 354th Operations Support Squadron Aircrew Flight Equipment craftsman, lays out the contents of the new arctic survival seat kit for the F-35A Lighting II on Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, Sept. 25, 2020. Some of the contents include a knife for gathering food, a poncho to stay dry and flares to signal rescue teams. (Senior Airman Beaux Hebert\/Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOver the years, we\u2019ve worked with [survival, evasion, resistance and escape specialists] to develop this kit and decided what is the most essential equipment needed to survive,\u201d Dugger said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a learning curve, with the seats being so new they are not as easy to pack. With time we will become more efficient and continue to ensure our pilots’ safety.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t