Royal Navy: Fast Jets & Big Decks are Back

摘要

F-35 Lightning jets from the Patuxent River Integrated Test Force (ITF) successfully completed eight weeks flying on and off the 65,000-ton warship, helping to write the "operator's manual" so that jets can fly from her deck on front-line operations. Two F-35B "Lightning" aircraft, four Test Pilots, and nearly 200 personnel based at the F-35 ITF joined the carrier in late September and performed 200 short take-offs, 187 vertical landings, 15 rolling landings, and dropped 54 practice bombs into the Atlantic as part of an ambitious test effort.