F-35C Lightning II jets assigned to the “Salty Dogs” of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 began aircraft compatibility testing aboard the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) on October 13, marking the first time an F-35C has landed on or launched from a Ford-class aircraft carrier. The Navy released imagery showing at least two F-35Cs, tail numbers 401 and 403, completing arrested recoveries and catapult launches using the carrier’s Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG).
The testing is part of the aircraft compatibility testing (ACT) the new carrier must undergo to ensure basic functionality with embarked aircraft. The John F. Kennedy is not yet commissioned and is slated to enter service with the U.S. Navy in 2027.
The first Ford-class carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), entered service in 2017 but to date does not embark F-35Cs, instead relying on air wings equipped with F/A-18E/F and G-variants. U.S. Navy F-35Cs have been operational on older Nimitz-class carriers for six years. The F-35C first began ACT aboard USS Nimitz (CVN-68) in November 2014, and the first Nimitz-class carrier to operationally deploy the fighter was USS Carl Vinson in 2020, after initial testing with F-35C commenced on that carrier in 2017.
The delayed induction of F-35C with Ford-class carriers stems from a Navy decision to extend various testing and integration measures on the new carrier design as a cost-saving measure, deriving from a Congress-mandated cost cap on the CVN-78 program. The Navy deferred various integration benchmarks to abide by the mandate, which resulted in marginal functionality of various systems on the notionally operational carrier, affecting aspects such as EMALS and the newly designed weapons elevators. In response, the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee in its FY2020 submission included language mandating that the Navy must not accept CVN-79 without the ability to embark the F-35C.
In August 2026, President Donald Trump mandated a 60-day review into whether additional new carriers, commencing with USS Doris Miller (CVN-81), should be modified for integration with the older steam-based catapult and arrestor system in use on Nimitz-class carriers. Despite the top-level initiative, the chances of such a change appear very marginal, as such a drastic design change would likely impose significant cost-increases and delays on further carrier construction. The Navy continues to order long lead items for support and future integration of EMALS equipment.
The testing aboard John F. Kennedy comes as the Chinese Navy’s third aircraft carrier, Fujian (18), the first Chinese carrier equipped with catapults, was commissioned in November 2025. The Fujian conducted flight testing involving recovery and launch of several aircraft, including the next-generation J-35, an operational analogue to the F-35C, using its own electromagnetic launch gear as early as March 2025. Naval News reported that the Fujian’s activities, combined with another presumed nuclear-powered Chinese carrier taking shape at the Dalian shipyard, underscore a new dynamic for the U.S. Navy, which now faces increased scrutiny bringing its newest aircraft carriers and fighter jets into routine operation against a notional adversary with similar capability.
Sources: USNI News · Naval News