The F-35B will be making its first combat deployment aboard USS Essex in the middle of this year. VMFA-211 will embark aboard USS Essex for the deployment.
An F-35B from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron-211, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), prepares to take off for flight operations aboard the Wasp-class Amphibious ship USS Essex (LHD 2) March 28, 2018. The Essex Amphibious Ready Group and 13th MEU fully integrated for the first time before their summer deployment. Amphibious Squadron, MEU integration training is a crucial pre-deployment exercise that allows the Navy-Marine Corps team to rapidly plan and execute complex operations from naval shipping. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. A. J. Van Fredenberg)
The Wasp-class amphibious assault ship recently underwent its pre-deployment training off California. The F-35B also traveled to U.S. Central Command on MacDill Air Force Base so that CENTCOM senior leadership will be aware of the jet’s capabilities once it enters the CENTCOM area of responsibility.
