FROM: U.S. NAVY
121207-O-GR159-001 PATUXENT RIVER, Md. (Dec. 7, 2012) Maj. C. R. Clift, a Marine Corps test pilot, flies BF-1, an F-35B Lightning II, on a short take off and vertical landing mode mission. The flight marked the 1000th developmental test flight for the F-35B Lightning II in the program's program's system development and demonstration phase. The F-35B is the variant of the Lightning II designed for use by the U.S. Marine Corps, as well as F-35 international partners in the United Kingdom and Italy. The F-35B is capable of short takeoffs and vertical landings to enable air power projection from amphibious ships, ski-jump aircraft carriers and expeditionary airfields. The F-35B is undergoing flight test and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River, Md., prior to delivery to the fleet. (Photo by Dane Wiedmann/Released)
121210-N-QM601-167 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Dec. 10, 2012) The multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), left, the amphibious dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) and the amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21) transit the Atlantic Ocean. Iwo Jima, the flagship of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group with the embarked 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (24th MEU), is currently deployed to support maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Scott Youngblood/Released)
