Initial sea trials of the F-35B Lightning II on board the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD-1) were completed on 20 October 2011. During the eighteen-day test period, pilots in two Marine Corp F-35B test aircraft—called BF-2 and BF-4—completed seventy-two vertical landings and short takeoffs under various conditions. Total flight time during the testing came to twenty-eight hours. During the tests, data was collected on the sound, power, and thermal impact on the ship’s deck produced by the F-35B. A new non-skid, heat resistant deck surface called Thermion was also tested. Preparations for the sea trials began more than a year ago. These trials were the first of three scheduled sea-based developmental test events for the F-35B.
