flying and deploying David C Isby$1; $1@; ; On the morning of December 5, seven Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning Ils took off from Edwards Air Force Base, California, on a simulated combat mission; the mission was the long-awaited start of initial operational testing and evaluation (IOT&E). Originally scheduled to be completed by July 2018, the Joint Operational Test Team (JOTT) will carry out IOT&E flying from Edwards and Naval Air Weapons Center China Lake, California, through the summer of 2019. With Marine Corps F-35Bs and Navy F-35Cs taking part, F-35s will fly over 30 simulated missions, including offensive counter-air, defensive counter-air, close air support (CAS) and suppression of enemy air defence scenarios. The CAS scenarios are a follow-up to preliminary evaluation missions flown in July 2018, which have attracted press attention in comparison with the A-10 Thunderbolt Ⅱ and the different ways the two aircraft carry out the CAS mission. Newly appointed Senator Martha McSally (Republican of Arizona), a former A-10 pilot, has been a strong advocate of a fly-off between the two aircraft and may use her new position to leverage this interest.
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