US Navy lands first F-35C on future Ford-class carrier John F. Kennedy
The United States Navy achieved its first arrested landing of an F-35C Lightning II on the pre-commissioning USS John F. Kennedy, the next Ford-class supercarrier.
On Tuesday the United States Navy confirmed that an F-35C Lightning II performed its first arrested landing on the flight deck of the pre-commissioning unit USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), the next Ford-class carrier due for official handover in March 2027. The aircraft, attached to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron VX-23, is part of a series of aircraft-compatibility tests evaluating the ship’s launch and recovery equipment.
CVN-79, which completed its acceptance trials in August, sailed a short 15-nautical-mile route from Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding to Naval Station Norfolk and remains underway for further at-sea testing. The landing is the first time an F-35C has touched down on a Ford-class hull; its predecessor, the USS Gerald R. Ford, entered service without the stealth fighter and will require extensive modifications before it can host the aircraft. The Kennedy is reported to be 99 percent complete, with final system checks including four Advanced Weapons Elevators, and its delivery was delayed from summer 2025 to ensure F-35C integration.
Why it matters
Successful F-35C operations on the new carrier prove the Navy can field fifth-generation jets on its next supercarrier, enhancing future strike capabilities.
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