Jane Edwards
A Lockheed Martin-built F-35A Lightning II aircraft landed Friday at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland after it completed its first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, Defense News reported Saturday.
Lara Seligman writes an Italian air force pilot flew the AL-1 fighter jet from an air base in Portugal to Maryland for seven hours after the initial flight Tuesday from Italy, where the aircraft was built.
The F-35A flew with two Italian Boeing-made KC-767 tankers, two Lockheed-built C-130 aircraft and a Eurofighter Typhoon and underwent three aerial refuelings on the first leg and another one during the journey’s final leg.
James Drew also reports for Flightglobal that the AL-1 aircraft will undergo electromagnetic environmental effects tests that the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command will conduct at NAS Patuxent River for up to three months.
“We define what RF environment this plane will operate in and will subject the plane to all those electromagnetic environments,” said Kurt Sebacher, E3 site director.
“We want to make sure when this plane flies by a SPY-1 radar or an air search radar that we do not have anomalies.”
The fighter jet will join the international training team at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona once it completes the E3 testing phase, according to Flightglobal.
