Marine Corps Air Station Yuma welcomed its first F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and will hold a re-designation ceremony Tuesday for VMFA-121, which will become the first operational F-35 squadron in the country.
The first F-35B Lightning arrived at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma Friday afternoon. MCAS Yuma will eventually be home to 88 F-35Bs - 5 squadrons each with 16 aircraft, and one operational test and evaluation squadron of eight aircraft.
Powerline mechanic Marines from around the Marine Corps ready themselves to become the first group of F-35B aircraft maintainers for the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 station at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma.
Lt. Col. Jeffrey Scott talks about the arrival of the F-35. The VMFA-121 Green Knights will be rededicated today as the first operational F-35B Lightning II squadron at MCAS Yuma.
Lt. Col. Dwight De Jong, overseer of the massive effort to ready the MCAS Yuma for the arrival of the F-35 and supporting personnel, discusses the 'safety' of the joint strike fighter program in the current political and economic climate.
