U.S. Navy fighter pilots flew F-35C Lightning II aircraft during an operational test aboard the fifth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. The test aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln evaluated the aircraft’s aptitude to operate as part of a carrier air wing, the service branch said Tuesday.
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“Operating this new generation of aircraft out on the aircraft carrier brings a different set of tools, techniques and procedures, and we’re learning how to integrate them into the battle group,” said Rear Adm. Dale Horan who directs the Joint Strike Fighter Fleet Integration Office.
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Evaluators assessed the F-35C’s capacity to operate with other deployed aircraft and integrate into air plans, with maintenance and logistics taken into consideration.
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The aircraft joined F/A-18, E-2D and EA-18G units in a continuous cycle of mission simulation, aerial maneuver practice and take off and landing.
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The F-35C is built to transmit information to legacy aircraft, wings, groups and ground forces, in addition to other F-35 units.
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The Navy will use data from the test as basis for future F-35C operations aboard the service branch’s aircraft carriers.
