F-35 completes first transatlantic flight on delivery to UK

Marines forces on either side of the Atlantic have depended on air support from the versatile AV-8B Harrier jump jet and its marvelous Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) capability to lift into flight without a runway. But the venerable aircraft has slowly been phased out in favor of the upcoming F-35 Lightning II fighter plane, which will come in a Short Take Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL)-equipped ‘B’ version. Despite scandals over its bloated budget and delayed schedule, the first F-35B intended for the UK has just finished the jet’s first recorded transatlantic flight as it lands in Britain in a video posted by the US Marine Corps.