U.S. Marines flying a CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopter transported an F-35C Lightning II airframe from the F-35 Integrated Test Force at Patuxent River (Pax ITF) to a Navy unit located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, April 24.
An F-35 Lightning II test pilot performed the first night shipborne rolling vertical landing (SRVL) aboard HMS Prince of Wales (R09), the U.K.’s newest aircraft carrier, in Atlantic waters off the U.S. Eastern Seaboard just after 9 p.m. Oct. 29, 2023.
Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) inducted its first F135 Power Module (PM) Aug. 24, one of the five major modules that make up the propulsion system on the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.
After being designated as a Department of Defense second depot source of repair (DSOR) for the F135 engine, FRCSE quickly began planning for the arrival of its first PM and future sustainment as a second DSOR.
Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) achieved another first in its support of next-generation Naval Aviation with the successful assembly of a lift fan clutch for the F-35B Lightning II aircraft. FRCE personnel became the first within the Department of Defense (DoD) to perform this task outside of the original manufacturer’s facility.
A CH-53K King Stallion heavy lift helicopter from Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron (VMX) performed an external load certification lift of an inoperable F-35 Lightning II airframe in December at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland. The lift was to evaluate the load and inform future lift capabilities.
Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) hosted an Oct. 11 visit from Edgar Apollo, the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) Product Support Management director. During the visit, FRCE leadership briefed Apollo and gave him a tour highlighting the depot’s support of the F-35 program.
The F-35 JPO Product Support Management team oversees F-35 supply chain logistics and sustainment for the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, seven international partners, and foreign military sales customers.
As the number of operational F-35 Lightning II aircraft in the Navy and Marine Corps continues to rise, the number of missions flown increases – and with them, the requirements for maintenance and repair.
The requirement for in-service repair and the need to mend battle damage don’t always come at a convenient time, or in a convenient location – and that’s where the F-35 Rapid Response Team (RRT) comes in. This team of highly skilled, cross-trained aircraft maintenance professionals stands ready to answer the call for support anywhere in the world, at any time.
Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) has expanded its support of next-generation naval aviation by declaring capabilities on a new round of F-35 components. These capabilities build upon the 17 F-35 components the depot previously declared capabilities on in 2020.
A first round of shipboard testing off the West Coast in January demonstrated that a team effort to increase warfighter capability by adding nighttime landing support for U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) F-35B flight operations on LHA(R) America-class Amphibious Assault ships succeeded brilliantly.
The Chief of Naval Operations Director for Expeditionary Warfare (OPNAV N95) and the Marine Corps in July 2021 determined the need to prepare Spot 9 on the aft flight deck as a second Unaided Night Landing Spot for the F-35B Lightning II.
Teamwork characterized the many accomplishments that earned the Naval Air Traffic Management Systems Program Office (PMA-213) Joint Precision Approach and Landing System (JPALS) team the top choice for the 2021 NAWCAD Commander’s Award in the Team Category.
Not least among their successes was bringing initial operational capability (IOC) for the new JPALS a year ahead of schedule. IOC certifies the system’s readiness to provide precision approach and landing capabilities to tactical carrier aircraft at sea.
