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Marine Corps F-35B Performs First Ever Cross-Deck Flight From Foreign Carrier

Because the world is one big happy place right now, it’s not uncommon for the world’s armies to train and perform all sorts of other missions with allies and, at times, even with foes. That happens with pretty much all branches of the global military, and utilizing pretty much all hardware available, except, until now, for one: aircraft carriers.
F-35B ready to launch from HMS Queen Elizabeth on August 20 8 photos
Photo: Marine Corps/1st Lt. Zachary Bodner
F-35A Lighting IIF-35A Lightning IIF-35 LightningF-35A Lightning IIF-35A Lightning IIF-35A Lightning IIF-35A Lightning II
Sure, these massive ships do train together, and so do the aircraft that take off from their decks, but we know not of instances when say an American plane used a foreign aircraft carrier for cross-deck operations.

That changed over the past weekend, when an F-35B deployed with the American Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 took off from the British HMS Queen Elizabeth and landed on amphibious assault ship USS America.

The plane had arrived on the Queen Elizabeth a while back, and conducted this “first-of-its-kind operation” on August 20. Once onboard the USS America, the plane was refueled and rearmed to “strike follow-on objectives.”

The achievement demonstrates, according to the Marine Corps, “the interoperability of the F-35B and the strategic importance of the joint integration between the United Kingdom Carrier Strike Group and the U.S. Navy Amphibious Ready Group / Marine Expeditionary Unit.” It also kind of increases the number of available floating bases for these planes in times of need.

The F-35B is one of three variants of the Lockheed Martin-made machine, and it has been designed specifically with the needs of the Marine Corps in mind. It can land vertically and take off from very short runways, making it ideal for use at sea. Aside from the American Marine Corps, the militaries of the UK and Italy are using them as well.

Generally called F-35 Lighting II, this family of fighter planes is capable of speeds of Mach 1.6 and flights at altitudes of 50,000 ft (15,000 m).

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Editor's note: Gallery shows other F-35s.

About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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