Ship suitability testing with the F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing variant of the Lightning II began on 3 October 2011, as Marine Corps test pilot Lt. Col. Fred Schenk, flying BF-2, the second F-35B test aircraft, successfully carried out a vertical landing on the USS Wasp (LHD-1) at sea. Called Development Test 1, test pilots will verify F-35B basic performance and handling qualities in a flight envelope that approximates the one used by fleet pilots during amphibious assault ship qualification flights
