The US Marine Corps has sent a squadron of its newest fighter jets to Japan, marking the first permanent overseas deployment of the joint strike fighter.
Ten F-35B fighter jets from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 (VMFA-121) departed Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in Arizona on Monday and flew to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni on Honshu Island in Japan.
According to Marine Corps spokesman Capt Kurt Stahl, an additional six jets would also be relocated from Yuma to Iwakuni, bringing the total number of aircraft to 16.
“The transition of VMFA-121 from MCAS Yuma to MCAS Iwakuni marks a significant milestone in the F-35B program as the Marine Corps continues to lead the way in the advancement of stealth fighter attack aircraft,” the service said in a statement on Tuesday.
In July 2015, VMFA-121 became the US military’s first operational F-35 squadron. Since then, the squadron…