The U.S. Marine Corps has announced the initial operational capability of F-35C Lightning II aircraft under Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 or VMFA-314.
This milestone allows VMFA-314 to use F-35C with U.S. Navy aircraft carriers for global missions, USMC said Wednesday. The F-35 is designed as a fifth-generation multi-role aircraft system capable of stealth operations.
“The F-35 is an expeditionary platform that extends the reach of our Marines and machines, and increases our ability to support joint and allied partners at a moment’s notice,” said Maj. Gen. Christopher Mahoney, commanding general of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.
VMFA-314 demonstrated compliance with various standards and met pilot quantity requirements to qualify the F-35C units.
