A US Navy F-35C Lightning II fighter aircraft has made the first arrested landing aboard the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), marking a milestone in aircraft compatibility testing for the navy’s Ford-class aircraft carrier.
The aircraft, assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23), known as the “Salty Dogs,” landed on the carrier’s flight deck on October 13, 2026, while the ship was underway in the Western Atlantic.
The testing assesses the operational capabilities of John F. Kennedy’s aircraft launch and recovery equipment with U.S. Navy aircraft. It is part of the work required to evaluate the carrier’s ability to support naval aviation operations.
The F-35C is the carrier variant of the Lightning II stealth fighter, designed for catapult-assisted takeoff and arrested recovery aboard aircraft carriers. Its first landing aboard John F. Kennedy represents a step in evaluating the compatibility of the fifth-generation fighter with the Ford-class carrier’s flight deck and aviation systems.
John F. Kennedy is the second ship in the Ford class, following the lead ship, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). The class incorporates new aircraft launch and recovery technologies intended to support carrier air operations.
The ship recently achieved preliminary acceptance of the aircraft carrier. Preliminary acceptance is the final step before formal delivery to the navy. It allows the navy to begin testing and evaluation of the carrier’s systems underway while its crew continues to build operational proficiency.
Following preliminary acceptance, the carrier departed HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding facility in Virginia and is scheduled to transition to Naval Station Norfolk.