Today Is A Great Day For America,

especially it's Marine Corps,

as the first 10-plane squadron of it's F-35B planes are declared operational, costing between $1.04 billion and $1.34 billion, depending on who’s doing the estimating, the squadron is ready for war, the F-35B is one of three variants of the fighter, designed to replace the Marine’s ageing fleet of Harrier Jump Jets, it can take off from short distances and even land vertically, that’s technically impressive, though it didn’t come without cost, in 1994, the unit price of the plane was estimated at just $35 million, in 2014 dollars, that’s $56 million, which is just over half the price $104 million unit price the F-35 maker Lockheed states today, it’s much less than the $134 million figure Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan, the head of the F-35 joint program office, provided in March, Government Accountability Office figures reflect a similar trend, with the plane’s unit price climbing from $69 million in 2001 to a peak of $137 million in 2013, before declining slightly, but here is the even better news regarding jobs in the US, the Pentagon currently plans a total fleet of 2,443 F-35s, though that number may decrease,

in a statement emailed to reporters by F-35 maker Lockheed Martin, they quote Lieutenant General Jon Davis, the Deputy Commandant for Aviation of the Marine Corps, as saying: “The squadron's aircraft performed well in all five IOC operational scenarios: Close Air Support, Air Interdiction, Armed Reconnaissance, Offencive Counter Air and Defencive Counter Air, this included live ordnance deliveries.” it means that in tests the F-35B put explosives on targets, and did the multiple jobs expected of the plane, way to go USA for defence and jobs!