F-35 fighter jet makes stop in El Paso
An F-35 fighter jet caused some people to turn their heads Tuesday in Northeast El Paso.
No, it didn’t make an early appearance in the Borderland ahead of the Amigo Airsho.
It’s being transported on a flatbed from Lockheed Martin in Dallas to a testing facility in California.
The caravan, which includes a security detail, only travels at night and it will take about two weeks to make the trip because of a top speed of 35 mph.
According to a May 2014 CNBC article, “there are many firsts with the F-35. It will be the first fighter jet made of composite material. It consolidates a seemingly endless amount of information onto a couple of screens inside the cockpit…or onto the pilot’s visor inside a custom-fitted helmet. In addition, external cameras around the jet can transmit pictures onto the visor so that when a pilot looks down, it will be as if he or she is looking right through the bottom of the plane.”
The CNBC article also states that, “the first combat-ready airplane is slated to be delivered next year. Eventually there will be more than 2,400 flying for the U.S. military, with allies buying hundreds more.”
