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Eglin AFB Marines fly first F-35B eight-ship
The DEW Line ^ | April 26, 2013 | Dave Majumdar

Posted on 04/26/2013 1:50:53 PM PDT by Yo-Yo

The US Marine Corps' VMFAT-501 training squadron, which is assigned to the US Air Force's 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin AFB, Florida, launched its first F-35B eight-ship earlier today. The unit flew one mission and then conducted a hot pit refueling before going back up again.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government
KEYWORDS: aerospace; f35b; navair; vmfat501
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Darn, the F-35 might actually work.

</sarc>

1 posted on 04/26/2013 1:50:53 PM PDT by Yo-Yo
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To: Yo-Yo

pardon my lack of military knowledge: what’s an “eight ship” ?


2 posted on 04/26/2013 1:53:05 PM PDT by llevrok (2013: America is in a cold civil war.)
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To: Yo-Yo

We should buy up a bunch of them Ruskie ships with our electronics.


3 posted on 04/26/2013 1:53:53 PM PDT by Paladin2
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To: Yo-Yo
The unit flew one mission ..


.. and burned their training budget til FY'14

4 posted on 04/26/2013 1:54:34 PM PDT by tomkat (a nation of spoiled children being 'led' by the very ones who coddled their petulance)
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To: llevrok

8 aircraft airborne at the same time and flying in formation


5 posted on 04/26/2013 2:06:13 PM PDT by twister881
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To: llevrok

Looks like an amateur blogger mistake. It apparently refers to “eight ship-qualified” VTOL planes, the first batch being put into service.


6 posted on 04/26/2013 2:07:37 PM PDT by jjotto ("Ya could look it up!")
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To: Yo-Yo

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/03/navy-next-killer-drone/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Top+Stories%29&pid=1826&viewall=true

That F-35 turkey is going to have a short career. The days of politicians risking combat pilots is rapidly closing thanks to more and more capable drones.


7 posted on 04/26/2013 2:16:22 PM PDT by Snickering Hound
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To: jjotto

No. It is pretty normal in military parlance to refer to aircraft as ships, particularly in reference to missions such the way they are here.


8 posted on 04/26/2013 2:17:32 PM PDT by TalonDJ
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To: Snickering Hound

They said the same thing in the 60’s. We had drones back then too.


9 posted on 04/26/2013 2:18:02 PM PDT by TalonDJ
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To: jjotto
Looks like an amateur blogger mistake.

The DEW Line is hardly an amateur blogger.

10 posted on 04/26/2013 2:20:42 PM PDT by Yo-Yo
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To: TalonDJ

Thank you. I have in fact heard ‘ship’ used that way many times. Didn’t put two and two together.


11 posted on 04/26/2013 2:21:30 PM PDT by jjotto ("Ya could look it up!")
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To: llevrok
what’s an “eight ship”

A total combined IQ of about 320. ;)

USAF usually does 4 ship flights, with a combined IQ of 160.

Not that I don't like pilots... They do an important job, but enlisted are allowed to poke fun at the orificers sometimes.

/johnny

12 posted on 04/26/2013 2:34:30 PM PDT by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: Yo-Yo

They have put enough money into it that it damned well better fly.


13 posted on 04/26/2013 2:55:50 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (Inside every liberal and WOD defender is a totalitarian screaming to get out.)
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To: Snickering Hound

Not to mention the drones are far cheaper to buy and operate than piloted aircraft.


14 posted on 04/26/2013 2:57:12 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (Inside every liberal and WOD defender is a totalitarian screaming to get out.)
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To: Yo-Yo
From Wiki- the F-35B is a short take-off and vertical-landing variant.

Interesting since I thought this the "Harrier" style was the hold-up on development.... Also, the US Marine Corps' VMFAT-501 training squadron will get 20 F-35B.

15 posted on 04/26/2013 2:58:00 PM PDT by 11th Commandment (http://www.thirty-thousand.org/)
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To: FReepers

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Support FR, Donate Monthly If You Can

16 posted on 04/26/2013 3:10:17 PM PDT by DJ MacWoW (My faith and politics cannot be separated)
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To: Yo-Yo

Cool fighter, but too expensive.


17 posted on 04/26/2013 3:13:52 PM PDT by Southack (Media Bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
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Actually the F-35B became operational right around
‘Live Free or Die Hard’ 2007. See movie.
/sarc


18 posted on 04/26/2013 4:14:35 PM PDT by RBStealth
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To: jjotto
VTOL(sic) planes

STOVL

the first batch being put into service.

VMFA-121 in Yuma stood up in November of 2012.

19 posted on 04/26/2013 10:28:04 PM PDT by A.A. Cunningham (Barry Soetoro can't pass E-verify)
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20 posted on 04/26/2013 10:33:10 PM PDT by A.A. Cunningham (Barry Soetoro can't pass E-verify)
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