BEAUFORT, S.C. (AP) - The first of the nation's new F-35B Joint Strike Fighters has arrived at the Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station.
The Beaufort Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/UfgYeZ) the plane landed Thursday afternoon, the first of 15 expected to arrive in Beaufort during the coming year.
Squadron commander Lt. Col. Joseph Bachmann flew the plane in from Eglin Air Force Base in Florida where the squadron currently trains.
Training in Beaufort is to begin in October. Squadron members began arriving in Beaufort earlier this month.
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is the next-generation of aircraft for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.
Military officials expect some of the jets to also be based at Shaw Air Force Base near Sumter.
