UK, US Military Test F-35 Vertical Takeoff Jet on Vintage US Aircraft Carrier

The Royal Navy and the US military are testing the F-35 fighter jet’s latest technology aboard one of the oldest American combat ships, demonstrating vertical take-off and landing capability that originated with the British Harrier “jump-jet.” The F-35 has been dubbed Lightning II, since another famed fighter with that name served the Royal Air Force in the Cold War era. The controversial F-35 has been criticized as a “trillion-dollar boondoggle”

However, the F-35’s testing aboard the USS Wasp this week was reportedly without incident. “By all accounts, it was a great success. No show stoppers at all,” Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, the US Marine Corps deputy commandant for aviation, told the Washington Post. The F-35 combines stealth design, vertical takeoff and landing, and “Star Wars”-style maneuverability in three variants, one for the US Air Force, Navy and Marines.

The Lockheed Martin-built aircraft is expected to serve not only in the Royal Navy, but with Italy, Australia, Canada, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Turkey. The “plane that ate the Pentagon,” which has been subject to several investigations by the US Congress, could cost as much as $304 million each. Credit: YouTube/Royal Navy