F-35 test pilots train for Cavour detachment

NAS PATUXENT RIVER, MD, UNITED STATES

01.27.2021

Photo by Kyra Helwick 

F-35 Lightning II Pax River ITF   

Test 982 / Flight 520
Test Pilot Marine Maj. Dylan “Bilbo” Nicholas, with the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron TWO THREE (VX-23), conducts day-into-night training in an F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant aircraft from the F-35 Patuxent River Integrated Test Force (ITF) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., Wednesday, Jan. 27. These workup testing and training flights are integral to preparing pilots for the ITF test team’s detachment to the Italian Navy aircraft carrier Cavour scheduled between February and March. During carrier-based flight test, also known as sea trials, ITF members with the engineering and test pilot expertise and experience will gather data that will verify compatibility between the 5th generation fighter aircraft and the Italian naval fleet's flagship. This information will contribute to certifying the ship for the Italian Navy’s operation of its own F-35Bs, adding a key weapon system to the carrier and increasing its expeditionary capability.

• Date Taken: 01.27.2021
• Date Posted: 02.04.2021 21:46
• Photo ID: 6509321
• VIRIN: 210127-O-PF253-115
• Resolution: 3600x2400
• Size: 5.34 MB
• Location: NAS PATUXENT RIVER, MD, US