Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II surpasses 10,000 flight hours, will replace U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy fighters
NewsOctober 11, 2013
FORT WORTH. The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II 5th generation fighter has surpassed 10,000 flight hours. Three types of F-35s were included in the program milestone: the F-35A Conventional Takeoff and Landing (CTOL), the F-35B Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing (STOVL), and the F-35C Carrier Variant (CV). The F-35s underwent 10,077 flight hours over 6,492 test flights, surpassing the 10,000 flight hours in September 2013. This new milestone doubles the safe flight operations of the F-35s in a year, compared to reaching only 5,000 flight hours in the last six years.
This milestone was achieved by pilots at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Arizona.
Three variations of the F-35 fighter will soon replace the A-10 and F-16 for the U.S. Air Force, the F/A-18 and AV-8B Harrier for the U.S. Marine Corps, the F/A-18 for the U.S. Navy, and a variety of other fighters for several other countries. The F-35 Lightning II family combines advanced stealth and sustainment with fighter speed and agility, fully-fused sensor information, and network-enabled operations.
