The Navy’s flight test center at NAS Patuxent River, Md., now has a new $24 million facility with the prime purpose of testing the Navy and Marine Corps versions of the F-35. Under current plans, Pax River will get a flight-test F-35B, the Marine Corps short takeoff and vertical landing variant in early 2008. The Navy’s F-35C carrier-landing variant will follow in 2009. The JSF is not new to Pax River, since the center participated in testing of the demonstration X-35C in 2001.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
