The US Navy has received its first stealth fighter F-35C Lightning II carrier variant at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland.

F-35C Lightning II, a fifth generation fighter aircraft built by Lockheed, achieved successful air refuels at a maximum load of 19,800lb during the flight.

The aircraft will conduct air-to-air refuelling and performance testing at Naval Air Station Patuxent River.

The F-35 aircraft is a combination of advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility that features fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations, advanced sustainment, and lower operational and support costs.