@ Salinas, CA
October 2021
This year’s California International Airshow Salinas featured this F-35C based at NAS Lemoore, seen here taking full advantage of the moisture laden skies. The F-35C variant is designed to operate from aircraft carriers and features larger wings with folding wingtips, larger control surfaces, stronger landing gear, twin-wheel nose gear, and a stronger tailhook. The larger wing area allows for decreased landing speed while increasing both range and payload. First flown in 2006, after years of delays and cost overruns, the U.S. Navy declared the F-35C combat ready in February 2019. This aircraft, CF-19, was delivered in December 2014 and was the first F-35C delivered to the USMC. A forecast total of 2,456 F-35s are planned for the US military. Nikon D500 w/Tamron 150-600mm.
