The Navy is moving ahead with final testing of the F-35C Joint Strike Fighter, performing takeoffs and landings aboard the USS George Washington this week.
The respected trade journal Aviation Week posted a video showing the jets making precision landings.
The magazine’s Pentagon Editor Lara Seligman was aboard the carrier on Tuesday off the coast of Norfolk, VA, for the final phase of developmental testing of the stealth fighter.
The test was described as a significant milestone for the Joint Strike Fighter program, marking the first time test pilots will fly the jets from a carrier with external weapons.
The F-35 is being built by Lockheed Martin in three variants for the Air Force, Navy and Marines, with the Marine version the first to be operational. It is the most expensive defense program in history.