The F-35B, USMC’s short takeoff and vertical landing variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, reaches supersonic speeds for the first time, flying out of NAS Patuxent River, Md., and reaching Mach 1.07.
The U.S. began extensive air and artillery strikes against Islamic State group targets in Syria on Dec. 19 in retaliation for the killing of three Americans on Dec. 13 by a gunman affiliated with ISIS, U.S. officials said.

