First F-35s land aboard Italian navy ship [Image 9 of 10]

UNITED STATES

03.01.2021

Photo by Kyra Helwick 

F-35 Lightning II Pax River ITF   

Test pilots from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23, Marine Corps Maj. Brad “HJOP” Leeman and Royal Navy Lt. Cmdr. Barry “Baz” Pilkington, fly two F-35B variants from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland on March 1 to the Italian aircraft carrier ITS Cavour (CVH 550) off the US coast. The vertical landings conducted by the two pilots marked the first landing of an F-35 aboard ITS Cavour. Italian Navy personnel and the F-35 Pax River Integrated Test Force test team are underway in the Atlantic to conduct F-35B sea trials aboard ITS Cavour over a multi-week testing period. The sea trials are a key milestone toward Italy’s carrier qualifications with its own F‐35Bs.

• Date Taken: 03.01.2021
• Date Posted: 03.04.2021 12:23
• Photo ID: 6542494
• VIRIN: 210301-O-PF253-488
• Resolution: 3600x2400
• Size: 5.26 MB
• Location: US