F-35C test aircraft CF-5 was ferried from the Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth, Texas, to the US Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division test facility at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, on 11 December 2012. Flown by Navy test pilot Lt. Cmdr. Michael Burks, the aircraft is the final permanently assigned C-model test aircraft for the F-35 Integrated Test Force. It is designated primarily for ship suitability and high angle of attack testing. The F-35C carrier variant is distinct from the F-35A and F-35B variants with larger wings and reinforced landing gear built to withstand catapult launches and deck landing impacts associated with the demanding aircraft carrier environment.
