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F-35Cs land on a carrier, but they can't take off
http://www.stripes.com/news/navy/f-35c-makes-1st-carrier-landing-on-uss-nimitz-1.312026F-35C makes 1st carrier landing on USS Nimitz
By Jennifer Hlad
Stars and Stripes
Published: November 3, 2014
OFF THE COAST OF SAN DIEGO — Two F-35Cs landed smoothly on the USS Nimitz on Monday, a historic day for the Navy's oldest aircraft carrier and newest aircraft.
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While the Marines have moved forward with their F-35Bs and expect to have them operational next summer, the Navy’s F-35Cs had long been delayed because of problems with the tailhook. Lockheed Martin announced that it had come up with a new design for the hook in 2013.
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Monday was the first day of a two-week initial testing phase aboard the Nimitz; two more testing phases will follow during the next two years. Navy officials had also planned catapault takeoffs for the planes Monday, but those were delayed because of a data issue.
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Each F-35C costs $129 million, a program official said, but the price is expected to drop to $107 million by the time the planes are operational in 2018.