Operational testing of the US Navy's F-35C started on August 28 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in the Atlantic, using six aircraft from Strike Fighter Squadron 101 (VFA-101) 'Grim Reapers' at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida and VFA-125 at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. This was intended as a precursor to the Department of Defense initial operational testing and evaluation (IOT&E) process, the start of which has been delayed from September to November so that the aircraft involved can all be updated with the latest version of the F-35's Block 3F software. The IOT&E is scheduled for completion in summer 2019, ahead of the planned October 2019 decision on the F-35's transition to full rate production.
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