The U.S. Marine Corps declares the F-35B operational

The United States Marine Corps declared initial operational capability for the F-35B after a five-day operational readiness inspection. The reference unit was fighter attack squadron VMFA-121 "Green Knights", with ten Block 2B aircraft based at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona. It was the first service in the world to declare the Lightning II operational, almost nine years after the prototype's first flight.