big-deck carrier-optimized variant being
developed primarily for the Navy. As
things stand, the Marines will purchase
353 F-35Bs and 67 F-35Cs.
The ‘Avengers’ are building to be a
16-aircraft squadron of F-35Bs. Vaughn
says: We transitioned on June 30, 2016,
and pretty quickly thereafter in the
September we were down at Tyndall
AFB, Florida, for a Weapons System
Evaluation Program [WSEP] where
we shot two AIM-120s. Obviously
they’d shot these in developmental
and operational test before, but those
were the first two AMRAAM [Advanced
Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile] shots
from an operational F-35B. After WSEP
we were back here at Yuma for a while
and focusing on the basics of employingthe aircraft before we again headed out
in November in support of DT-III on the
USS America [LHA 6]. We initially sent
two jets out to aid the developmental
and operational testing that was going
on, but sent a further five aircraft out
shortly thereafter and carrier-qualified
[CQ’d] seven of our pilots. We had a
combined total of 12 F-35Bs out on the
carrier and it afforded a huge amount of
experience for the whole team.’
In early 2017, VMFA-211 supported a
Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI)
course at Yuma, and sent out various
small detachments, including to
Nellis AFB, Nevada, in May. It was the
precursor to a major step up in July, as
the ‘Avengers’ headed back to Nellis for
Exercise ‘Red Flag’.Above: ‘Wake
flight’ joins the
KC-130J tanker
for refueling.
Left: Lt Col Chad
Vaughn has led
from the front
in the F-35B
program for the
Marine Corps.UNIT REPORT | VMFA-211
http://www.combataircraft.net January 201842
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