An F-35C Lightning II made an arrested landing on the pre-commissioning unit John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) on Oct. 13, 2026, marking the first time the carrier-variant stealth fighter has landed on a Ford-class aircraft carrier, the U.S. Navy said.
The landing took place in the Western Atlantic during Aircraft Compatibility Testing (ACT), which assesses the operational capabilities of the ship’s aircraft launch and recovery equipment with U.S. Navy aircraft. The Kennedy uses the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) catapults and the Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) for launch and recovery.
Two F-35C test pilots assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23), part of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), flew to the carrier. A team from the Patuxent River-based F-35 Integrated Test Force (ITF) is conducting the evaluation using a specially instrumented example of the fighter. Imagery released by the Navy shows two jets, with the second carrying inert GBU-38 JDAM bombs as external stores.
The Kennedy achieved preliminary acceptance by the Navy on Sept. 29, following successful acceptance trials in August. The carrier is scheduled for delivery to the Navy in March 2027. The ship set sail for the first time under its own power from the HII facility in Newport News on Jan. 28, 2026, after being laid down in 2015.
The Kennedy incorporates design changes compared to the lead ship of the class, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), including the AN/SPY-6(V)3 radar. The Ford completed its ACT in January 2020 after 16 days at sea and the launch and recovery of 211 aircraft. The F-35C was the only aircraft type not included in the Ford’s ACT.
The Navy has not yet released details about the Kennedy’s ACT campaign. The C-2 Greyhound, which was recently retired, will be the only aircraft tested on the Ford that will not be tested on the Kennedy.
According to the Navy, CVN 79 is 1,092 feet in length, displaces 100,000 tons, and incorporates more than 23 new technologies. The service says these innovations will support a 33% higher sortie generation rate at significant cost savings compared to Nimitz-class carriers. The Navy said the total ownership cost for a Nimitz-class ship is $32.1 billion in FY 04 constant year dollars, while the expected total ownership cost for a Ford-class carrier is $26.8 billion.
After entering service, the Kennedy is due to be homeported at Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton in Washington state, making it the first Ford-class carrier based on the U.S. West Coast.
Sources: The Aviationist · The War Zone