The US Marine Corps' VMFA-121, the first "operational" Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II squadron, conducted its first short take-off vertical landing sortie at MCAS Yuma, Arizona, on 21 March.
Maj Richard Rusnok, a test pilot previously assigned to NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, flew the unit's first short take-off and short landing. He also performed the first F-35B hover and vertical landing outside of flight-testing in aircraft BF-19. Rusnok was accompanied on his flight by VMFA-121 commanding officer Lt Col Jeffrey Scott, who was flying chase in a second F-35B.
"The first STOVL flight for an F-35B outside of the test environment was another milestone achieved by the Marine Corps and the Green Knights today here at MCAS Yuma," Scott says. "The F-35 program and specifically the F-35B have made significant progress to make this possible."
The USMC says VMFA-121 will grow over the next year or so to include about 300 personnel. It is also scheduled to receive a total of 16 F-35Bs before the end of 2013, the Marines say.
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