US F-35 aircraft crosses the Atlantic for the first time

On July 2, the military news site Defense News cited close sources as reporting that three 5th generation F-35 Lightning II fighter jets made their first flight across the Atlantic.

The F-35s flew from the US to the UK to prepare for the Farnborough Airshow 2016, which will take place from July 15 to 17. According to the British newspaper The Sun, the three F-35s flew 6,400km with 15 aerial refuelings.

Previously, in May 2016, the Dutch Ministry of Defense announced that F-35 aircraft would fly from the US to Leeuwarden air base in the Netherlands to conduct test flights for 3 weeks.

F-35 Lightning II fighter.

The transatlantic flight of the F-35 was considered a great success after the US Air Force decided to temporarily suspend all flights of this 5th generation aircraft in July 2014. This flight suspension order is in effect until the F-35 passes the official test flights. The US Air Force made the above decision after an F-35 aircraft suddenly caught fire in the engine while preparing to take off.

Currently, the total cost of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) development program has reached 400 billion USD, double the initial estimate. The F-35 development process is behind schedule and has been plagued by many scandals and problems. Most recently, the Pentagon's Test and Evaluation (OT & E) agency confirmed that this 5th generation fighter has a software error, is vulnerable to lightning strikes, and F-35 test flights are limited due to technical errors.

Designed with many advanced features, including stealth capabilities, and available in versions for the navy, army, and air force, the US Department of Defense plans to spend $392 billion to buy 2,442 F-35 aircraft (the expected price per aircraft is $160 million). However, the cost of the F-35 may increase significantly due to technical errors and a development process that is seven years behind schedule.

According to qdnd/Defense News