FRC East Milestone in F-35 Maintenance

Fleet Readiness Center East achieved another accomplishment for its support of the F-35 Lightning II program May 17, 2018.

FRC East has now received, modified and delivered its first U. S. Navy F-35C Lightning II.  The aircraft arrived at FRC East in November 2017 from Eglin AFB, Florida, and over the past seven months underwent required structural modifications and other upgrades.  The aircraft returned to U. S. Navy’s Strike Fighter Squadron 101 located at Eglin Air Force Base.

The F-35C carrier variant is the world’s only 5th Generation, long-range stealth strike fighter designed and built explicitly for carrier operations.

FRC East is the lead site for depot-level maintenance on the F-35B (short takeoff-vertical landing), but also performs work on F-35A (conventional takeoff and landing) and F-35C (carrier) variants.  The depot has a workforce of more than 3,900 civilian, military personnel and contractors, making it the states’ largest industrial employer in Eastern North Carolina.