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U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has lifted the two-year probation placed by his predecessor on the F-35B Lightning Short Takeoff, Vertical Landing (STOVL) Joint Strike Fighter variant. Panetta made the announcement Friday during a tour of Patuxent River Naval Air Station arranged by Rep. Steny Hoyer (D: 5th) Panetta made the announcement before a group of Pax River workers and community leaders and standing in the JSF hanger before one of the aircraft.
“Because of your work the STOVL variant has made sufficient progress so that today I am lifting the STOVL probation, Panetta said to a very loud applause from those assembled in the hanger.
Panetta credited the hard work of the Integrated Test Team at Pax River that consists of 550 contractor personnel and 250 civil service employees. “This generation of fighter behind me is absolutely vital to maintaining our air superiority,” the secretary said. He said he and the defense department were committed to the development of the F-35, which was good news for the community that is one of the key locations for testing the various JSF variants.
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