That’s the F-35B Lightning II which is currently conducting trials taking off and landing from the deck of the USS Wasp. The Wasp is a multipurpose amphibious assault ship, not an aircraft carrier. But that’s OK, since the F-35B is the STOVL variant of the Lightning II. STOVL stands for Short TakeOff and Vertical Landing. You might think of this as VTOL, Vertical TakeOff and Landing, but the preferred method these days is a rolling takeoff which adds some aerodynamic lift and allows for a higher takeoff weight. Providing it doesn’t get cancelled, the F-35B will replace the AV-8B Harrier II in US Marine Corps service as well as with the Italian Navy. The UK’s Royal Navy was also going to use them, but they’ve switched to the F-35C carrier variant that will also be used by the US Navy. The F-35A is the Air Force model.
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