U.S. Marines Declare First F-35B Squadron Operational

Aviation Week (online registration required): Five years later than planned, billions of dollars over budget and despite multiple attempts to kill it, the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter is finally beginning its operational use with the U.S. Marine Corps. The Marines—the first service among 12 nations to buy the stealthy fighter—declared initial operational capability (IOC) for the short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing F-35B on July 31. The declaration of IOC for Marine Fighter Attack Sqdn. 121 (VMFA-121),

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