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Marine Corps Declares F-35 Ready For Combat

Marine Corps Declares F-35 Ready For Combat
The Marine Corps' short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B performs a vertical landing. Photo: Lockheed Martin.

The most expensive weapon ever devised, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, has been declared ready for battle by the Marine Corps.Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 (VMFA-121), went operational Friday with 10 F-35Bs and was declared ready for "worldwide deployment." The unit is the first of all services and partner nations to declare the F-35 battle ready.  The Air Force should follow in 2016 and the Navy's carrier-based version should be ready for deployment in 2019."I am pleased to announce that…

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