Lockheed Martin has announced that its final F-35 Joint Strike Fighter development aircraft has completed its first flight, taking off from NAS Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base on May 21.
The F-35C, designated CF-3, is the final US Navy prototype carrier variant, and will join two CF-1 and CF-2 along with four US Marine F-35Bs at NAS Patuxent River later this year. Once there, all seven aircraft will take part in the US Navy and Marine Corps flight test program.
The recent announcement follows the arrival of a second production, USAF-bound F-35A (AF-6) at Edwards AFB on May 13.
