EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif -- The U.S. Marine Corps declared Initial Operational Capability with the F-35B..
The largest procurement program in the Department of Defense the F-35 Lightning II is a strike fighter aircraft being procured in different versions for the United States Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy. Current DOD plans call for acquiring a total of 2,456 F-35s. Allies are expected to purchase hundreds of additional F-35s, and eight nations are cost-sharing partners in the program with the United States.
The Navy joins the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force now as the third and final U.S. service to declare its F-35s mission ready and combat capable. Six F-35 operators are now IOC, to include the USMC, USAF, U.S. Navy, Israeli Air Force, Italian Air Force and the United Kingdom.