May 18, 2011 - The U.S. military hopes to eventually get
at least 2,400 of the controversial
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets. It's been controversial (as are most big military orders). The program is estimated at around $328 billion and is intended to replace several other fighters in use by the military. One of the main "selling points" of the F-35 is its ability to take off and land vertically, thereby making it independent of any runway. The F-35 program, a decade old, has suffered from budget woes and political delays.
The fighter seems to have overcome most objections and it now appears inevitable that the F-35 will become a staple in the arsenals of the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. According to Lockheed Martin, Canada decided to go with the F-35 last July.
"The Government of Canada ... announced plans to acquire the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II as the country’s next-generation fighter aircraft," says a Lockheed Martin press release.
"The F-35 will replace Canada’s fleet of CF-18 Hornets that entered service in the early 1980s."
PATUXENT RIVER, Md. - Test aircraft for the carrier variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter have exceeded test and evaluation program 
goals this year. As of May 11, F-35C test aircraft CF-1 currently at Naval Air Station Patuxent River has completed 36 test flights, nearly half of the program’s goal for the year of 85. More at DefenceProfessionals.com...
(photo: Lockheed Martin)
PATUXENT RIVER, Md. - Test aircraft for the carrier variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter have exceeded test and evaluation program 
goals this year. As of May 11, F-35C test aircraft CF-1 currently at Naval Air Station Patuxent River has completed 36 test flights, nearly half of the program’s goal for the year of 85. More at DefenceProfessionals.com...
