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A US Navy carrier strike group is deploying with advanced fifth-generation F-35C stealth fighter jets for the first time
Ryan Pickrell
Mon., August 2, 2021, 4:49 p.m.�3 min read
A Navy carrier strike group is deploying with F-35Cs for the first time, the Navy said Monday
The Carl Vinson carrier strike group set sail "in support of global maritime security operations."
The carrier air wing consists of both fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft.
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A US Navy carrier strike group deployed Monday, the Navy said in a press release, revealing that the carrier is deploying with the service's most advanced fighter jets.
The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson departed San Diego carrying the Navy's first F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter squadron, the "Argonauts" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147. The deployment is a first for the carrier-based variant of the fifth-generation stealth fighter.
The Carl Vinson carrier strike group's Carrier Air Wing 2 is the Navy's first integrated air wing including both the fourth-generation F/A-18 Super Hornets and the newer F-35Cs to deploy overseas.
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