At-sea Marines set F-35B milestone

An aircrew from Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 at Yuma, Ariz., proved that maintaining an F-35B fifth-generation jet could be done at sea aboard the amphibious assault ship USS America. They took apart one of seven F-35Bs aboard and conducted a power module and engine swap, then put it back together Nov. 9. It was a new milestone for the program. Aboard “amphibs,” there is less room than on aircraft carriers. It is key that maintenance personnel know how to complete such complex jobs. The full process took a week, officials said, as the crew entered every action into the Autonomic Logistic Information System maintenance software. The seven F-35Bs aboard USS America will continue testing at sea for another week. This final round of developmental tests comes just two months before the first operational squadron is to deploy permanently with F-35Bs to Japan, where they will eventually be assigned to USS Wasp in 2018. (Source: DOD Buzz 11/10/16) Gulf Coast Note: USS America was primarily constructed at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss.