On August 17, the F-35 Integrated Test Force (ITF) based at Edwards Air Force Base, California, completed the last of 25 missions as part of a month-long weapon's firing test surge. The mission count was split between 12 Weapons Delivery Accuracy (WDA) and 13 Weapon Separation Tests. According to the F-35 Joint Program Office, WDA missions have generally taken place once a month during the F-35's ongoing System Development and Demonstration phase. That's based on the complexity of each mission, which involves coordination of air space and weapon range at either Edwards, Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico and the 36,000 square mile (92,200km2) Sea Range off the coast of southern California just 60 miles (95km) northwest of Los Angeles. The term surge in part reflected the number of range allocations afforded to the F-35 ITF during the period, and not just the number of highly complex missions flown. The test team was given exclusive use of the Sea Range.
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