F-35B Makes First Vertical Landing at Sea

The US Marine Corps’ STOVL variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, the F-35B Lightning II, has made its first vertical landing aboard the USS Wasp while it was underway, flown by US Marine Corps Test Pilot LtCol Fred Schenk.  (The Wasp is a straight-deck amphibious assault ship, not an aircraft carrier.)  Interestingly, they didn’t mention the subsequent takeoff, which would likely have also been a first.

The DoD has posted a short video of the landing — which was likely a much longer event than shown — on YouTube.