A squadron at Naval Air Station Lemoore in California has become the first on the West Coast to receive the Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35C Lightning II, the carrier variant of the multi-role fighter.
Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 125 welcomed its initial four F-35Cs during a Jan. 25 ceremony. VFA-125, which will train naval aviators on the F-35C, will ultimately receive 30 aircraft.
The newly arrived jets “represent the incredible new fifth-generation capability for our future air wings,” said Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker, the Navy’s air boss. “With its stealth qualities, it can penetrate threat envelopes. Its integrated sensor packages collect and fuse information, providing a common operational picture for the carrier strike group and joint force commanders.”
A Navy training unit on the East Coast, VFA-101 at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, was the first squadron to receive the F-35C.