Milestone

First F-35B landings aboard the carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth

September 25, 2018

Two F-35Bs from the Patuxent River integrated test force made the first vertical landings on the deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth, in the Atlantic off Virginia, during the trials deployment known as Westlant 18. At the controls were Royal Navy Commander Nathan Gray and RAF Squadron Leader Andy Edgell. It was the first time in eight years that British pilots had landed aboard a British carrier.

Sources: Defense News — With historic first F-35B landings on HMS Queen Elizabeth, the UK is back in the saddle of carrier aviation