'C' Variant Faces Several More Years Of Testing Before Becoming Operational

The U.S. Navy is looking at conducting F-35 operations from an aircraft carrier later this fall, but does not seem to be in any hurry to deploy the Joint Strike Fighters at sea.

The Navy plans several more years of tests, with a target date for deployment aboard an aircraft carrier in 2019, according to a report in National Defense magazine online. Lt. Cmdr. Michael Burks, an F-35 test pilot, said the Navy's variant is "only half way through the initial development plan.

During carrier tests currently planned for October, the F-35C would be evaluated for its eventual role as part of an air wing. The recently-redesigned arresting gear also needs to be checked out.

Burks said that one of the top priorities for the "C" variant is to finish software development and address problems that have cropped up in the helmet-mounted displays. He said that when it becomes operational, the F-35C will be primarily an "information collector and distributor in the air wing" as the Navy's only stealth aircraft.

(F-35C image from file)

FMI: www.navy.mil