First F-35C Aircraft Arrives for Testing

CF-1, the first F-35C strike fighter test aircraft, has arrived at NAS Patuxent River, Md., F-35 prime contractor Lockheed Martin announced. The C model is optimized for operations from large-deck aircraft carriers. At Pax River, F-35 test officials will employ CF-1 in air-to-air refueling and performance tests. It joins several F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing test aircraft at the Maryland site. CF-1 arrived Nov. 6, completing a journey from NAS Fort Worth JRB, Tex., which is adjacent to Lockheed’s F-35 assembly facility.