First Production F-35C Flies Initial Sortie

The 57th Wing is preparing for the arrival of four F-35 Lighting IIs Feb. 28. Arrival of the F-35s to Nellis Air Force Base, NV, will mark the first time in the aircraft's history operational tests will be performed on the aircraft.

"It's the largest [Department of Defense] acquisition project in history," said Lt. Col. Kevin Wilson, 53rd Wing chief of joint strike fighter integration. "The Air Force's piece of that is the F-35 A model. It's the conventional takeoff and landing model often referred to as the CTOL model. That is what we'll be getting here at Nellis very shortly."
 
Once on station, the F-35s will initially be used for operational test purposes. Their primary use will be for developmental test support, force development evaluation and supporting operational test aircraft at Edwards AFB, CA, in support of the initial operational test and evaluation program. "I think everyone is ready to get the jets here and to get them flying in an operational test mode," Wilson said. "Nowhere else in the DOD F-35 program, the Marine Corps, the Navy, or the Air Force, is anyone doing any kind of operational test yet. It's all on the developmental test side, which is, 'hey how does this stuff actually work' instead of 'How are we going to actually use this?' This is the first chance for us to use that."

Nellis is initially scheduled to receive four F-35A models. "They'll be joined by a couple more in a couple of years and eventually there will be 12 operational test F-35s here (Nellis) and 24 F-35s for the [U.S. Air Force] Weapons School," Wilson said.

A majority of the F-35As developmental test objectives will be accomplished at Edwards AFB. "The major part of what Nellis' F-35 operational test jets are going to do is what's called force development evaluation." Nellis does operational testing over Nevada Test and Training Range.

At about the same time, Lockheed Martin said in a news release that the first production model F-35C carrier variant, known as CF-6, flew its first sortie Thursday. Upon delivery later this year, the jet will be assigned to US Navy Fighter Attack Squadron 101 (VFA-101) at Eglin AFB, FL. The unit will serve as the Fleet Replacement Squadron, training Navy F-35C pilots and maintainers. While CF-6 will be the first carrier variant jet assigned to Eglin, it will join a fleet of nine F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) jets and 13 F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) jets already on station.

ANN salutes Senior Airman Jack Sanders 99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs.

(Images provided by USAF, Lockheed Martin)

FMI: www.af.mil, www.navy.mil