F-35C Lightning II Conducts First Night Flight Ops During Developmental Testing aboard USS Nimitz

On Nov. 3, F-35C CF-3 piloted by Navy test pilot Cmdr. Tony Wilson, conducted the very first arrested landing of the Joint Strike Fighter plane on a supercarrier.

Following the first successful arrested landings (the second came on the same day, with F-35C CF-5), the two jets of the F-35 Lightning II Pax River Integrated Test Force from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23, performed a series of catapult launches, touch-and-gos and arrested landings.

On Nov. 13, at 6:01 p.m. (PST), the JSF had another first when it was launched for the first carrier-based night flight operations aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). After a series of planned touch-and-go landings, the aircraft came for an arrested landing at 6:40 pm.

Here’s an interesting video of the first night ops aboard a U.S. Navy flattop.

Image credit: U.S. Navy

Related articles

• [Video] F-35C successfully completes first arrested landing on aircraft carrier
• Not very stealthy: first image of F-35C carrying full load of weapons (externally)
• A-7 Corsair II and the VAL program: how a multiservice aircraft should be developed
• RAF pilot performs first UK takeoff of F-35B Lightning at sea
• [Photo] First F-35 sporting “LF” tail code for Luke Air Force Base
• Navy’s F-35C gets VFA-101 high-visibility markings
• Photo: U.S. Navy Carrier Variant F-35C’s first formation flight