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Navy Receives First F-35C Lightning II
June 24, 2013
The U.S. Navy’s Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101 received the Navy’s first F-35C Lightning II carrier variant aircraft from Lockheed Martin Saturday at the squadron’s home at Eglin Air Force Base..
The F-35C is a fifth generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment.
The F-35C will enhance the flexibility, power projection, and strike capabilities of carrier air wings and joint task forces and will complement the capabilities of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, which currently serves as the Navy’s premier strike fighter.
By 2025, the Navy’s aircraft carrier-based air wings will consist of a mix of F-35C, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers electronic attack aircraft, E-2D Hawkeye battle management and control aircraft, Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) air vehicles, MH-60R/S helicopters and Carrier Onboard Delivery logistics aircraft.
VFA 101, based at Eglin Air Force Base, will serve as the F-35C Fleet Replacement Squadron, training both aircrew and maintenance personnel to fly and repair the F-35C.
Pictured top: Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Tabert, F-35C Lightning II instructor pilot, U.S. Navy Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-101 lands Saturday afternoon at Eglin Air Force Base’s 33d Fighter Wing after a two hour flight from Ft. Worth, Texas.
Comments
5 Responses to “Navy Receives First F-35C Lightning II”
The one feature on this aircraft that grabbed my attention was the thrust vectoring system. I am no mechanical or aeronautical engineer, but I have seen a number of retrofits on a number of different types of machines and my question to anyone with the core knowledge on this subject is would there be any advantage to retrofitting vectored thrust into existing airframes such as the F15 Eagle and F16 Falcon?
Feasibility, Benefits, Cost effectiveness.
F-35 may not be a good air superiority fighter or may not be a good dogfighter. But this F-35 provides exellent Air-to-Ground capabilities. But the Navy pilots may not be that satisfied with the machine. But they might say “Hey we have a new plane, but not really good in some areas”
The F-35 just gives better ground attack capabilites. Also it brings back some of the old Navy squadrons.
Also gives more stealth to the F-35. But this isn’t the platform that protects carriers. It’s the Super Hornet. But the F-35 will provide better Ground Attack missions and capabilities, new squadrons and stealth.
Hope they’ve fixed the problem with the oxygen supply units onboard the aircraft.
At first the pilots kept loosing consciousness at altitudes over 10,000 feet.
Brave Women and Men in these flying machines.
God Bless them and those who care for their aircraft.
Yup, looks impressive, has absolutely no capabilities air-to-air or air-to-ground, can’t fly in weather or VFR conditions, can’t deliver ordnance and can’t land on an aircraft carrier because of the location and design of the tailhook.
But it does look impressive…
A friend of mine is part of the squadron ( vfa101) to receive this jet and it is killer saw up close pics of it. Amazing show of force for the us armed forces