Lockheed F-35 fighter jet lands on U.S. aircraft carrier: spokesman
By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The first of two Lockheed Martin Corp F-35C fighter jets landed successfully on the USS Nimitz off the coast of San Diego on Monday, marking the new warplane's first landing on an aircraft carrier using its tailhook system, the Pentagon said. Joe DellaVedova, spokesman for the Pentagon's F-35 joint program office, said the landing was part of a two-week sea-based test that runs through Nov. 17. It marks another milestone for the Pentagon's biggest weapons project, a $399 billion program designed to replace over a dozen different types of warplanes being used by the U.S. military and its allies. After years of delays and cost overruns, the F-35 program has generally met its schedule and cost targets since a major restructuring in 2010, although a temporary fleetwide grounding ordered after an engine failure in June has set back testing by 45 to 50 days. The sea-based testing of the plane will give officials key data about the ship's performance on a carrier, and allow any adjustments needed to keep the program on track for initial use by the fleet in 2018. Navy test pilot Commander Tony Wilson, who landed the CF-03 aircraft on the Nimitz flight deck just after noon, called it a "landmark event." Vice Admiral David Buss, commander of Naval Air Forces, said the landing was "historic," noting that it begins "the integration of the next generation of warfighting capability into our carrier-based air wings." The jet, and a second due to arrive later Monday or Tuesday, will carry out two weeks of testing at sea, the first of three testing phases planned for the carrier variant of the F-35. The jets will perform operational maneuvers, including various catapult takeoffs and arrested landings using a tailhook that had be redesigned after early test problems on land. Air Force Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan, who runs the program for the Pentagon, said the Navy, Pentagon and contractors had been preparing for the testing for months. The F-35C will enhance the flexibility, power projection and strike capabilities of carrier air wings, complementing the capabilities of the Boeing Co F/A-18 Super Hornet, the Navy current strike fighter. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Richard Chang)
