As F-35B readies for deployment, training continues at MCAS Beaufort

Friday's announcement that the first F-35B squadron was ready for international deployment marked another major milestone for the Joint Strike Fighter program, but it was one that likely won't have much of an impact on local F-35B operations.

The Department of Defense announced Friday that VMFA-121, an F-35B combat squadron out of Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in Arizona, reached initial operational capability after a five-day inspection that ended July 17. The announcement paves the way for the 10-jet squadron to be deployed worldwide.

Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort public affairs officer Capt. Clay Groover said the news was a "huge step" for the Marine Corps as a whole but wouldn't change much at the Beaufort airbase since their focus is on training pilots. As MCAS Yuma and other Marine Corps installations ready their combat squadrons for deployment, MCAS Beaufort's training squadron VMFAT-501 has quietly hummed along, starting training classes for experienced pilots earlier this year, Groover said.

The training squadron, which celebrated its first anniversary of moving to MCAS Beaufort on July 17, has trained 16 pilots, according to an air station news release. Overall, the Marine Corps has nearly 50 trained F-35B pilots and more than 500 maintenance personnel to support the new aircraft, the Department of Defense announcement said.

As part of the inspection before declaring the combat squadron ready for deployment, VMFA-121 flew for seven weeks aboard an aircraft carrier, participated in large-force exercises and performed multiple flights with live ordnance, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Joseph Dunford said in the announcement.

While the major announcement won't change much locally, it was still a sign of the progress made at MCAS Beaufort, said Jim Wegmann, chairman of the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Military Enhancement Committee.

He said the program's success validates the hard work done in training maintainers and pilots the last several year.