Skip to content
DefDex

Aircraft · Air

F-35C Lightning II

Carrier-based variant of the F-35 stealth multirole fighter.

Part of the F-35 Lightning II program →

by Lockheed Martin · First fielded 2019

FieldedAircraftAirInitial operating capabilityFeb 28, 2019
Milestones20102019
  1. First flightF-35C completes first flight, confirmed
  2. Initial operating capabilityUS Navy declares F-35C initial operational capability, confirmed

Carrier variant (CV) of the F-35 Lightning II, designed to be launched from and recovered aboard aircraft carriers. Its primary U.S. operator is the Navy, which plans to procure 273 F-35Cs alongside 67 for the Marine Corps; it is the Navy's first aircraft designed for stealth.

Timeline2

  1. First flightConfirmed

    F-35C completes first flight

    First flight of the carrier variant, separately dated from the F-35A and F-35B.

  2. Initial operating capabilityConfirmed

    US Navy declares F-35C initial operational capability

    The carrier variant achieved IOC after VFA-147 completed carrier qualifications and safe-for-flight certification.

The latest 10 milestones. Solid entries are confirmed, outlined reported, dashed estimated or still to come; dotted italic entries are speculative. Dates show only the precision the sources give.

Operators1

  • USUnited States
First fielded
2019

Programs & Awards1 programs

Programs1

Cost to the Government

  • Unit cost (flyaway)Reported
    $111M
    Estimate / observation: 2026-09 · Then-year $

    F-35C average price for Lots 18-19 as confirmed by the F-35 JPO to Breaking Defense (reported Sept 2026); up from $102.1M in Lots 15-17.

    Source
Earlier cost observations (2)
  • F-35C Lightning II · Unit cost (flyaway) · $77.2M
    Estimate / observation: 2023-12 · BY2012 $ · 340 units

    Average unit recurring flyaway cost from the December 2023 (Modernized) SAR via CRS R48304 Table 2, constant CY2012 dollars, assuming 2,470 U.S. and 918 international sales; hardware includes airframe, vehicle systems, mission systems, engine and ECOs over the life of the program. quantity = planned U.S. buy of this variant in the program of record, not the number of aircraft the figure was priced on.

    Source
  • F-35C Lightning II · Unit cost (flyaway) · $102M
    Estimate / observation: 2023-10 · Then-year $

    F-35C average flyaway price for Lots 15-17 (delivered CY2023-2025) per F-35 JPO spokesman Russ Goemaere to Breaking Defense.

    Source

Unit costs and contract unit prices for this system, and budget figures for the programs that buy it. Each figure states its dollar basis and links its source; contract values are under Programs & awards.