An F-35C Lightning II completed an arrested landing aboard the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), marking the first time the carrier-based variant of the Joint Strike Fighter has landed on a Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier.

CVN 79 is the second Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, built by Huntington Ingalls Industries at its Newport News shipyard. The landing is part of ongoing testing of the fifth-generation fighter's compatibility with the carrier's flight deck and aviation systems.

The milestone is a key step in integrating the F-35C with the Ford class after years of delays and technical challenges, including work on the Advanced Arresting Gear system used to recover aircraft on the new carriers.

Source: USNI News