CF-1, the first F-35C strike fighter test aircraft, has arrived at NAS Patuxent River, Md., F-35 prime contractor Lockheed Martin announced. The C model is optimized for operations from large-deck aircraft carriers. At Pax River, F-35 test officials will employ CF-1 in air-to-air refueling and performance tests. It joins several F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing test aircraft at the Maryland site. CF-1 arrived Nov. 6, completing a journey from NAS Fort Worth JRB, Tex., which is adjacent to Lockheed’s F-35 assembly facility.
When Donald Trump begins his second term as president in January, national security law experts anticipate he may return to his old habit of issuing orders to the military via social media, a practice which could cause confusion in the ranks.