Marine Corps gets 1st F-35B

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. — The Marine Corps received its first F-35B aircraft, the Marine Corps variant of the F-35 Lightning II, at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., on Wednesday.

As the future home of the first squadrons of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in the country, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma will get five squadrons each with 16 aircraft, and one operational test and evaluation squadron of eight aircraft.

These 88 aircraft will replace Yuma's four existing squadrons of 56 AV-8B Harriers, and are expected to begin arriving in phases starting in September.

The F-35B, one of three variants of the Joint Strike Fighter, is a tactical fixed-wing aircraft that is to be the replacement for aging jets within the Marine Corps. 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing's F-35 training squadron, Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501, which is based at Eglin AFB and is the first Marine Corps squadron to receive a F-35B aircraft.

Marine test pilot Maj. Joseph T. Bachmann delivered the first aircraft to Eglin AFB. A second F-35B was scheduled to be delivered later the same day. The aircraft will be used for pilot and maintainer training at the F-35 Integrated Training Center.

“The Marine Corps has to be ready to fight across the spectrum of war; a force that is most ready when the nation is least ready. The F-35B gives us the capability to do just that,” said Maj. Gen. Jon M. Davis, commanding general of 2d MAW.

The F-35B, a short takeoff and vertical landing fighter, is slated to replace the Marine Corps' F/A-18 Hornet, AV-8B Harrier and EA-6B Prowler. It will provide multi-role, fifth-generation capabilities in the form of one common tactical fixed-wing aircraft, reducing maintenance costs while ensuring the Marine Corps maintains the tactical aircraft dominance required to deter potential adversaries and protect the nation's interests.

The F-35B supports the Marine Corps' tactical and operational needs for close air support in austere conditions and locations that may be inaccessible to traditional fighters. Thanks to its short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities, the F-35B can operate from expeditionary airfields in remote, non-permissive environments with shorter runways, contributing to the Marine Corps' role as the nation's expeditionary force-in-readiness.