NAS Pax River Facility to Test Lockheed Martin Stealth Fighters for the Navy and Marine Corps
Posted on: Jan. 30th, 2006 - www.chron.comPATUXENT RIVER, Md., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The U.S. Navy has dedicated a $24 million facility at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., for testing of the Navy and Marine Corps' newest jets: the Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) F-35B and F-35C Joint Strike Fighter.
Nine of the 15 F-35 flight-test aircraft will undergo evaluation at the Joint Strike Fighter Test and Support Facility at NAS Patuxent River. Arrival of the first jet, a short-takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B for the Marine Corps, is planned for early 2008. Testing of the Navy's F-35C, designed for catapult launches and arrested recoveries aboard large aircraft carriers, will begin in 2009. Both versions will be tested in land- and ship-based environments. The stealthy F-35 will be the most powerful single-engine fighter ever fielded.
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