The first Lockheed Martin F-35C <i>Lightning II</i> sortie from the U.S. Navy Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-101 "Grim Reapers" takes off at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida (USA), on 14 August 2013. U.S. Navy sailors have been on station for two years ready for the day they would launch a carrier variant of the U.S. military's joint strike fighter. The Navy's first pilot training course at Eglin was concluded in January 2013 and the second course began June with seven pilots soon to begin training flight operations in two of the squadron's F-35Cs. (
U.S. Air Force photo by Samuel King
2013-08-14
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.af.mil/photos/">U.S. Air Force</a> photo <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.eglin.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/2013%5C08%5C130814-F-oc707-006.jpg">130814-F-oc707-006</a> from the <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.eglin.af.mil/photos/index.asp">Eglin Air Force Base website</a>