F-35B STOVL Testing USS America (LHA-6)

F-35B STOVL Testing USS America (LHA-6)U.S. Navy video by Seaman Joshua Samoluk, Petty Officer 1st Class Demetrius Kennon, Petty Officer Third Class Kyle Goldberg

PACIFIC OCEAN (Oct. 28, 2016) An F-35B Lightning II lands on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6). Later, F-35Bs take off from the flight deck. The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant is the world’s first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft. America, with Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1), Marine Attack Fighter Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) embarked, are underway conducting operational testing and the third phase of developmental testing for the F-35B Lightning II aircraft, respectively. The tests will evaluate the full spectrum of joint strike fighter measures of suitability and effectiveness in an at-sea environment.