A US F-35B Lightning II fighter jet has landed on the deck of the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales for the first time in history

By: Maksim Panasovskiy | 17.10.2023, 16:17

It happened. A US fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighter jet has landed on the deck of HMS Prince of Wales.

Here's What We Know

The UK Royal Navy aircraft carrier travelled across the Atlantic a few weeks ago for exercises near the US coast. A few days ago, a US F-35B short take-off and vertical landing fighter jet landed on the deck of HMS Prince of Wales.

The fifth-generation aircraft belongs to the 23rd Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23) of the US Marine Corps. The landing of the F-35B on the deck of Britain's Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier was a milestone for both the F-35B and the UK Royal Navy ship.

HMS Prince of Wales is taking part in Operations WESTLANT 23, which includes a series of flight tests to assess the capabilities of naval aviation, including the fifth-generation F-35B Lightning II fighters.

Source: DVIDS