EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. — The Marine Corps welcomed its first F-35B aircraft, the Marine Corps variant of the F-35 Lightning II, at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Jan. 11.
Marine pilots will receive training to fly the new aircraft and eventually deploy with them aboard Navy amphibious ships.
The F-35B, one of three variants of the Joint Strike Fighter, is a tactical fixed-wing aircraft that is to be the replacement for aging jets within the Marine Corps. 2d Marine Aircraft Wing's F-35 training squadron, Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501, is based at Eglin AFB and is the first Marine Corps squadron to receive F-35B aircraft.
