US deploys F-35 fighter jet squadron to Japan

The US Marine Corps said on January 10 that it had deployed a squadron of F-35B fighter jets to Japan, marking the first overseas combat deployment of America's most advanced fighter jet.

F-35B fighter jet. (Source: Daily Mail)

The deployment of the F-35B squadron to the US Marine Corps' Iwakuni Air Base on the island of Honshu is a milestone for the controversial fighter jet, which has been plagued by technical problems and soaring costs.

With a total cost of 379 billion USD for 2,443 aircraft, Lockheed Martin's F-35 is the most expensive aircraft in history and the cost is expected to increase further.

The F-35B version for the Marine Corps is capable of short takeoffs and vertical landings.

In December 2016, US President-elect Donald Trump shocked the aviation industry when he announced on Twitter that he had asked Boeing to calculate the cost of producing a fighter jet to replace the F-35 because the cost was too expensive.

According to Vietnam+