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Field FootageAtlantic (public, as stated with the test; not a ship position)

Footage

First F-35C landing on PCU John F. Kennedy (CVN 79)

Card: an F-35C of VX-23 made the first F-35C arrested landing on a Ford-class carrier, PCU John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), on 13 October 2026. Navy photos mark the first F-35C launch from the class on 14 October.
Credit: EXE, exeindex.com. License: CC BY 4.0.

On 13 October 2026, an F-35C of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron VX-23 made the first F-35C arrested landing on a Ford-class carrier, PCU John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), in the Atlantic, during Aircraft Compatibility Testing. Navy photos mark the first F-35C launch from the class on 14 October. This page links those posts and does not rehost the photos. The spec card quotes public fact sheets only.

What
First F-35C landing on PCU John F. Kennedy (CVN 79)
Where
Atlantic (public, as stated with the test; not a ship position)
When
Oct 13, 2026
Who
U.S. Navy
Status
U.S. government work (public domain). Credit: U.S. Navy. Linked, not rehosted. The summary card is EXE, CC BY 4.0.

Sources

  1. DVIDS / U.S. Navy · First F-35C arrested landing on PCU John F. Kennedy (CVN 79)
  2. U.S. Navy · Navy post, 14 October 2026
  3. USNI News · VIDEO: F-35C Lands on New Navy Aircraft Carrier Class for First Time
  4. U.S. Naval Academy · F-35C Lightning II
  5. U.S. Navy · PCU John F. Kennedy (CVN 79)
Suggest a correction
Record details
News card from EXE Index. Headline: First F-35C landing on a Ford-class carrier. Real photo: a gray U.S. Navy F-35C Lightning II stealth fighter with a red-and-white striped tail descends with landing gear and tailhook down over the flight deck of the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), with the ocean behind it. U.S. Navy photo by MCSN Kaitlyn Bailey, DVIDS 10009948, public domain. Key facts: ship, the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79); jet, an F-35C from test squadron VX-23; firsts, the class's first arrested F-35C landing and first F-35C launch, Oct 13, 2026. Sources: U.S. Navy, DVIDS, USNI News. exeindex.com.
CVN 79 · Oct 13. U.S. Navy photo, MCSN Kaitlyn Bailey · DVIDS 10009948 · public domain.
News card from EXE Index. Headline: First F-35C landing on a Ford-class carrier. Real photo: a gray U.S. Navy F-35C Lightning II stealth fighter with a red-and-white striped tail descends with landing gear and tailhook down over the flight deck of PCU John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), with the Atlantic Ocean behind it. U.S. Navy photo by MCSN Kaitlyn Bailey, DVIDS 10009948, public domain. Tech specs from the Lockheed Martin F-35C product card: manufacturer Lockheed Martin; operator U.S. Navy; length 15.7 m (51.5 ft); wingspan 13.1 m (43 ft); max speed Mach 1.6; range over 2,200 km (1,200 nmi) on internal fuel; weapons payload 8,160 kg (18,000 lb); engine F135-PW-100. Date Oct 13, 2026, Atlantic Ocean. Record media:navy-cvn-79-first-f-35c-landing-2026-10-13 on exeindex.com.
F-35C (VX-23) arrested landing aboard PCU John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) · Oct 13. U.S. Navy photo by MCSN Kaitlyn Bailey · DVIDS 10009948 · public domain.
KEY FACTS
LOCATIONFuture USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) (DVIDS / U.S. Navy, USNI News)
SYSTEMF-35C, test squadron VX-23 (DVIDS / U.S. Navy, USNI News)
FIRSTClass's first arrested F-35C landing and first F-35C launch (DVIDS / U.S. Navy, USNI News, U.S. Navy)
TECH SPECS
LENGTH15.7 m (51.5 ft) (U.S. Naval Academy)
WINGSPAN13.1 m (43 ft) (U.S. Naval Academy)
MAX SPEEDMach 1.6 (U.S. Naval Academy)
ENGINEF135-PW-100 (U.S. Naval Academy)
OPERATORU.S. Navy (DVIDS / U.S. Navy)

First F-35C arrested landing on a Ford-class carrier, 13 October 2026. An F-35C of VX-23 made the first F-35C arrested landing on PCU John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) on 13 October 2026 during Aircraft Compatibility Testing. Navy photos mark the first F-35C launch from the class on 14 October. Sources: DVIDS / U.S. Navy: First F-35C arrested landing on PCU John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), USNI News: VIDEO: F-35C Lands on New Navy Aircraft Carrier Class for First Time, U.S. Navy: Navy post, 14 October 2026. Post on X.

A public test event named by the Navy and by USNI News. The place is the Atlantic, as stated with the test, not a ship position. Specs are the published characteristics of the F-35C and of CVN 79, not a description of the landing.

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