Marine Corps test pilot Maj. Dylan “Bilbo” Nicholas pilots an F-35C during a GBU-38/54 flight test at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, on June 21, 2022. Before new weapons and aircraft capabilities are integrated into operational fleet squadrons the Pax River F-35 Integrated Test Force and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 developmental test pilots thoroughly test them. The F-35, which has been operational since 2015, is the most lethal, survivable, and interoperable fighter aircraft ever built.

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Photo credit: © APFootage / Alamy / Afripics
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Keywords: -35, -35c, gbu-38/54, itf, vx-23