Momentum Builds for U.S. Navy To Declare the F-35C Combat-Ready

摘要

The U.S. Navy is poised to declare the F-35C ready for combat at the end of February, the last of the tri-service strike-fighter versions to achieve operational capability.As much as it is a landmark for the Pentagon's largest procurement program, it is a milestone for Lockheed Martin, which was selected to develop the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) in 2001. For the Navy, the declaration signals that the service can start preparing for its first carrier deployment with the fifth-generation fighter aircraft. It is in the process of moving all F-35C assets to California to support operational needs in the Pacific.The F-35C, with its advanced data links and sensors, will bring unprecedented situational awareness to the carrier air wing. Likened to an iPhone for its ability to bring new applications to aerial combat, the F-35C will work with the Northrop Grumman E-2D Hawkeye, Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler, and other aircraft.